


ash and steel

by Justagalpal



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Batman is here a lil bit, Bisexual Kara Danvers, Dark Kara Danvers, F/F, Good Astra (Supergirl TV 2015), Kara isn't taking people's shit (except Lena's), Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Mostly about Kara, Multiverse Shenanigans, Protective Kara Danvers, Protective Lena Luthor, Slow Burn Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Smart Kara Danvers, Sort of a Suicide Squad, Warrior Supergirl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2020-10-21 15:44:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20696012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justagalpal/pseuds/Justagalpal
Summary: Five years ago Superwoman was presumed dead. Now, Lena Luthor is moving to National City. The mysterious Kara Danvers approaches her. Then, Superwoman returns. Will this Super and Luthor be able to co-operate? or will history repeat itself? All the while Lena finds herself wondering, 'what is up with Kara?'[This is a re-uploaded and changed version of another work I started]





	1. Never Trust A Luthor

**Author's Note:**

> If you were reading my previous work, thank you for supporting me! I hope not to disappoint with this version. (first chapter is mostly the same)

It was a simple saying, frequently spoken, “Never trust a Luthor”. Especially after the atrocities of Metropolis, or as some called it, ‘The Fallout’. 

If The Man of Steel couldn’t trust them, then how could anyone?

Luthors were hailed as snakes, ready to pounce. Supers were hailed as saints, symbols of hope.

Lena herself wanted to take the easy route, and blame Superman, but she wasn’t ignorant, or stupendous enough to fault him for the unspeakable crimes of her brother.

There was enough blame to go around in the family. The signs of madness that Lena had turned a blind eye to. The overbearing father, who even in his last moments spoke of their flaws. The pretentious mother who persisted on perfection. The company name. 

They all led to the ambition that crossed lines, resulting in casualties that he had deemed as collateral damage. “It’s for the greater good, Lee,'' he would say. 

That’s where Lena’s life had been divided. There was Before Lex, and After Lex. Good and Bad. 

In the beginning, a baby girl was born. A child conceived of infidelity, unwanted by the father, and the mother was paid to bite her tongue. Nonetheless, it was fine. The baby girl, Kieran, had a mother to supply her with affection, to make her feel warm and protected. They lived in Dublin, on Ireland’s east coast, and had normal lives. 

The mother had a sustainable job, and little Kieran had two friends. She still remembered them every once in a while, with hazy recollections. 

Noah, two years her elder had met her when his dog had bitten her leg, and in exchange for his friendship Kieran spun a little lie for the blood and bite. Sometimes she would trace out the faint scars she still bore.

And there had been Maya, her age, who waltzed up to her and said, “Kieran is a boy’s name” before inviting her to play soccer, which resulted in Kieran accidentally getting a ball to the face and a bloody nose.

Kieran was fine because she had something important: Happiness. 

However, that little girl was ripped away from her happiness, her friends, her name, and affection when she watched as her mother drowned. She had been powerless to help her, but still years later, it traumatized her, and she would recall those fateful moments that led to a tragedy. Again, she would berate herself for her incompetence to change fate. 

After her mother’s death her life blinked by, everything was cold and colorless. One moment she sat next to police officers, receiving pitying looks and the default lies of “Everything will be okay”. Next, she stood beside a tall bald man, imposing and full of authority, he claimed to be her father. She was confused, but her little mind still had been unable to comprehend the words. 

The next moment, she was on a plane. Shipped off to America, no more Noah, no more Maya, no more normalcy. The next moment, she stood in the Luthor Manor clutching a teddy bear, and trying not to run when the woman in the room looked at her with increasing revolt and disgust. 

It was only when the boy, a teenager invited her to play a game of chess, and introduced himself as Lex Luthor, that the little girl started to feel warm and welcomed. He added a little color to her life, and became an outlet of joy.

The little girl learned to respond to the new name she was given, Lena Luthor. Apparently this new family had a thing for names that started with L’s. But this family also had expectations, three simple rules, to never show weakness, to never back down, and to never forget. Every error she made was punished, most notably, by Lillian, who lacked all the attributes of a mother. Everything Lillian did was in adoration to Lex, for the company, or to lord over Lena. 

She felt like she should have been grateful, the money and the power that came with the Luthor name was something others would kill for, but Lena hated it. Longing to go back to Ireland, and to her old life was a foolish dream. So, she settled for whatever comforts came.

One comfort came in the form of her new brother, Lex. With him it was easy to forget her burdens. They would play games of chess in their spare times, challenging their minds, concentrating and strategizing against one another. When she first arrived in the Luthor household, mourning and lost, he would take her to the gardens, telling her about all sorts of plants, the colors, the details, the symmetry, and how they came to be. They had all sorts of discussions, the ones that make you think deeply, and differently, they talked about the ancients tales, myths, legends, gods and goddesses, and the truths of science. They delved into the topics of politics, religion, culture, health, and technology to fill their minds with knowledge. Together they would watch movies, and laugh when they saw the scientific inaccuracies. 

Later, Lex would introduce one of his own friends, Clark Kent, a Daily Planet reporter. However, Lena only managed to see him a handful of times. At first she stayed away, thinking he was only in it for the story, but he was an overall good man. When she did see him was when Lex would invite him to lunch or galas, and only for a measured amount of time before Clark had to run out, leaving flimsy excuses in his trail. It would be a family emergency, a last minute work meeting, left his stove on, or her personal favorite, “I- um, uh- forgot to water the plants”. Lena had never seen a man run home to water his plants so fast, and it left her concerned for the potted beings in his home.

When Leonel’s life came to an end due to a heart attack, his last words were “do not fail me”. From then on Lena saw less of her brother, leaving her to deal with Lillian. He became CEO of LuthorCorp and saw him working with Superman every once in a while. 

The second comfort came to her in college at MIT, around when Superman’s cousin fell. Lena just wanted to do her work, avoid Lillian, and receive her masters when she had to find a partner for an oncoming project. His name was Jack Spheer, like her, he was a certified genius. He did not like her, and she did not like him, they were a nuisance to each other. Jack thought Lena was a snobby rich girl, paying her way to the top, and Lena thought he was a player with his mild charm and handsomeness. But, both had to push their pride aside, or risk failing. The more they worked together the more they learned about each other. 

Jack did not have some of the luxuries Lena had, he did not come from a rich upbringing, or a powerful family, but wanted to help his mother, and had big dreams of starting up his own business. In turn, Lena opened up to him, she told him about her life as Keiran, before the Luthors, before the money and power. She told him about the brother who was too caught up in ‘work’, and the mother she despised. 

It was easy to talk to each other, they steadily went from working together on school projects to working on projects that could actually help people. It started off as a fantasy, one that you saw in science fiction, to develop nanotechnology with healing factors, but when they considered LuthorCorp’s labs, resources and their combines intelligence, it became less of a fantasy and more of a possibility. 

That summer Lena went home, even if she had to deal with Lillian, then at least she could see Lex. Her brother and Superman had grown to be friends, but in his office, Lex had multiple screens. One played the news, one played Superman’s activities, and the last one played news reports of fatal alien attacks. Lena should have spoken up that day during lunch when Lex started ranting about aliens. All the human casualties caused by aliens, Superman being unable to save them, Superman himself fighting for aliens when those very being were wreaking havoc. How even the Man of Steel should be brought to his knees to prove that even humans have power. She stayed quiet. 

After he was done Lena simply told him about Jack, and the plans they had. When Lex’s interest was peaked she asked if LuthorCorp had any labs that they could use to start their research. Her brother was happy to supply them with the resources they needed, and Lena thought that was the end of it. 

When Jack flew down to Metropolis he stayed with Lena at the Luthor Manor, and unfortunately had to endure Lillian’s criticism. It was around the time of the summer gala when they shared their first kiss, the emotions she felt frightened her, but she didn’t back down. Soon, they started dating, they were happy together.

For 3 years they held strong, both of them finishing school, Lena got a masters in Mechanical Engineering, Bio-Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and a bachelors in Physics, Biology, and Computer Science. They had made developments in their research of nanotechnology, even started processing the information to conduct trials on human simulations, but the trials failed, they were far from getting even close to what they dreamed of. That was okay, they knew it wouldn’t be easy.

Everything was fine. Until it wasn’t. 

In the time Lex was ‘working’ he had been developing weapons, specifically to kill aliens. He tried to bring down The Man of Steel, by arming himself with an exosuit and kryptonite. Lex used unknown energy forms to bomb multiple alien shelters, and alien containment centers. The attacks were over before anyone knew what happened, there was a state of shock as onlookers saw the bodies, the limbs falling from the sky, then the rage. The brother she adored and sought comfort in turned into a monster.

Once again, Lena’s life was upended. It was mere minutes after Lex was exposed as the culprit that the Luthor Manor was stormed by FBI and SWAT teams. The investigations started, authorities looked into every nook and cranny. Lena, Lillian, Jack, house staff, friends, acquaintances, and board members were interrogated for hours. 

Records showed that over the past five years Lex had been planning the attack, illegally producing weapons and trying to synthesize kryptonite. After they couldn’t pin Lena down on any of Lex’s crimes they let her go with a security detail. She knew they would keep a close eye on her from now on, nothing would be the same, Lena lawyered up, and tried to face the public. 

No matter where she turned Lena was faced with the aftermath of Lex’s crimes. In the span of hours, the whole world knew about the bombings, media outlets jumping at her, assassination attempts became a daily occurrence, even Superman would sometimes fly around the Luthor Manor. She refused to lock herself away, or to hide. Lena was a Luthor, she couldn’t show weakness, she couldn’t back down, and she most certainly would never forget. 

*

It was 2 weeks after the bombings that company representatives finally came, LuthorCorp was in shambles, stock prices were dropping, and Lena was asked to take up the reigns of the family company and the mantle of CEO.

Lena thought about it, about Jack. She had dreams of changing the world with him, of living a life with him, but how could she drag this man through the hell that she had been thrown into? He knew she was not involved, knew she wasn’t despicable or xenophobic, but Lena was facing a war.

So, Lena let him go, and hoped to preserve what was left of the company before everything fell apart, once and for all. Just like that, Lena was alone. 

Everyday became a battle, she learned quickly, going head to head with businessmen, and board members, those who thought her as easy prey to pick on would soon learn otherwise. She tried to learn which people could and couldn’t be trusted, which could work for her brother, or mother, and which were simply trying to do their jobs. 

When Lena entered a room silence would descend, and as in an unspoken agreement the order would be handed to her. With a single look the people would scurry back to their desks, with a simple tilt of her head Lena could command a room. Then, only in precarious situations, would Lena use the one weapon that never failed her. The Eyebrow Raise; to make grown men tremble. 

It was a lonesome path she paved, but it felt necessary at the time. Until she ran into Samantha Arias, quite literally.

It was a misplacement of trust. After days of meetings and conference calls all Lena could think about was the bottle of scotch that awaited in her apartment. Two bodyguards, Kinsley and Thomas, trailed her, as she headed to the car. One moment it was quiet and peaceful, the next moment the sound of a gunshot echoed across the stone walls of the parking garage. When Lena turned blood splattered across her face as Kinsley put a bullet in Thomas’s head. He moved to point the gun at her, but another shot went off from behind Lena, her driver was firing at Kinsley, “RUN,'' was all he yelled. So, Lena did. 

She was not built for running, that much was obvious, but it wasn’t the first time she ran for her life. She took the stairs, and an emergency exit, finding herself in an alleyway. She continued, trying to make it into the main street to merge into the crowd, or go into a shop, but instead she slammed into another person. A tall and lean brunette. 

“HEY, WATCH IT!” 

Lena didn’t respond before she heard the quick padding of footsteps. Kinsley came around the corner with a blade in hand. He ignored the woman standing next to Lena, and headed directly for her. That was his mistake, the brunette blocked his path, quick and fierce she landed a kick to his knee. From then it was a flurry of movements, a struggle. Their bodies close, knife between them threatening both, and each seeking an advantage. Another kick, this one to the groin, when Kinsley tried to recover the brunette jabbed two fingers at his eyes. 

By this time, Lena had found her phone and typed in the 3 digits. Sirens could already be heard in the distance when the brunette came to her. “Hey, lady- sorry, I don’t really know your name, but are you alright?”

Lena took a moment to compose herself and calm her racing heartbeat before she responded. “I’m Lena, thank you for saving my life, not many would do so when it comes to me”.

Unless paid, and even then…

“Well, I’m Sam, and now that I know you ran into me because of a life threatening situation, I’m happy to help. Gotta ask, who was that douche?”

Sam didn’t seem to know who she was, maybe it was better this way, people always looked at her differently when they found out she bore the Luthor name.

“He was my bodyguard.”

The police vehicles rolled into the alley way, and Lena thought that was the last time she would see Sam. 

Lena was wrong, she was in the downtown offices, when she spotted Sam. The woman was hunched over, pouring through data files and spreadsheets, Lena considered going over and talking to her, but decided against it, not wanting to interrupt her work. She was walking away when she heard, “No bodyguards this time?”

“Nope, in light of recent events, I have decided against them,'' she said turning. There was a playfulness to Sam that made her feel relaxed and comfortable. “... but considering that my savior stand before me, I am inclined to thank her, maybe by talking a bit?”

It was a bold move, on Lena’s part, to ask for such a thing as friends, it made her feel desperate, weak, but Sam had accepted, and Lena was glad that she had.  
When they sat down and talked Lena found out that Sam had a daughter, Ruby, when she was 16, subsequently getting her kicked out. Instead of giving up on Ruby, and failing as a mother, Sam decided to give fate a huge ‘fuck you’. Miraculously, Sam balanced getting a job, raising Ruby, and going to school. She was not afraid to speak her mind, even to Lena, a Luthor, something no one else dared to do. 

Lena was not good around children, most parents would drag their kids the other way when they saw her, but Sam introduced her to Ruby. Only a few months later, when they were hanging out together did Ruby first utter the words that made Lena’s heart skip a beat, and bring tears to her eyes. “Auntie Lena”.

Aside from Sam and Ruby, there was Jess. Most of Lena’s assistants didn’t last a week, usually they quit after the assassination attempts, or were on the job for corporate espionage, except Jess. Even if Lena provided her with a hefty salary, it was still remarkable how much her diligent assistant could endure. Jess had to go up against assassins which put her life at risk, and against entitled rich men, which put her patience at risk. Sometimes Jess looked downright ready to throttle them. 

More so was that Jess cared for Lena’s well being, persistent that she gets enough sleep, remembers to eat, have human interaction, or drink something other than alcohol. Basically, stay alive, and provided with necessities to function. There were times when Lena would forget the three Luthor rules and relapse. She would try to drink away her problems, and fail spectacularly, leaving Jess to find her the next morning with empty bottles of scotch, a relentless hangover, and vomit. 

Her assistant would not ask, sparing Lena from anymore embarrassment, and loss of dignity.

*

In Metropolis there was always the talk of Lex, the sins he committed, and the constant feeling that his shadow was always there, watching, and whispering. After a year of misery Lena made another bold decision. Move LuthorCorp to the other side of the country to start directing the company in a new direction. 

Sam agreed to follow her in the move to National City, and a position as CFO of LuthorCorp.

Jess also came with her, and her moving expenses were paid by the company.

Hopefully moving away would ease the pains of the city. Except the people of National City were immediately wary and suspicious of the youngest Luthor. What could she possibly want in the home of a fallen Super?


	2. The Last Daughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara Zor-El is the last daughter of krypton... or is she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> added detail, hope you enjoy!

Kara Zor-El was the daughter of two high standing officials on Krypton, she was the next heir to the House of El, a house of hope, she knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life, and what was expected of her. She could practically write out her own destiny, her goals and accomplishments, but fate would see that wiped away.

She didn’t know it was coming until the day it happened. The only explanation she received was that Krypton was dying due to an unstable core. All of Krypton’s scientific advancements came with the price of destruction. 

Her parents couldn’t stop the downfall, but they could get Kara and her cousin, Kal-El out. She begged and pleaded to stay with them, she clung to them in desperate hugs, and heartfelt goodbyes. They would send her off to another planet, Earth, floating galaxies away which could sustain kryptonian life, where Kara and Kal would be safe.

They gave her a mission: Protect her Kal-El, provide him with the love an affection that Lara and Jor-El could not, to teach him all that she knew of Krypton. 

Twin pods flew up into Krypton’s skies, shooting out into space, Kara wept, and looked back to catch one last glimpse of her home. At that moment Krypton exploded. She sat there in shock, eyes wide. In mere seconds millions of years of progress came to an end, billions died, her culture: the vibrant music, the arts, the sweet aromas, the delicious food, her language, and her parents were gone. 

She no longer knew what she wanted to do with her life, or what she was destined for. Kara Zor-El was the last daughter of Krypton, sent to Earth with the purpose of protecting her baby cousin. 

Kara failed in her mission. The shock wave of the explosion shot out pieces of Krypton. She panicked, trembling in fear as her pod shook and rattled, throwing it off its course to Earth, and into the phantom zone. 

Days, months, and years flew by in the black vastness of the phantom zone, Kara’s mind was stuck repeating her memories of Krypton, from the small details to the imminent destruction that followed. 

After 24 years Kara’s pod wormed its way out and finally landed- or crashed on Earth. She didn’t know what to expect on this new planet, but luckily it was Kal-El that found her. She was relieved, he was alive. There were a few- eh, tiny problems. Kara had slept for 24 years, but didn’t age a day, she looked, well, 12, in human years, meanwhile Kal-El’s pod had made its way to Earth without a problem and found by two humans that were nice enough to take him in. 

Next was the powers she needed to tame. Kara might be small but, as Kal explained it, Kryptonians gained unique abilities through Earth’s yellow sun and atmosphere. They possessed super strength, super speed, flight, x-ray vision, freeze breath, heat vision, and invulnerability, except to kryptonite. He used his powers to save those who couldn’t save themselves, and was branded as Superman, The Man of Steel by the media. 

Then there was the fact that saddened Kara the most, aside from the powers, Kal-El was more human than kryptonian. He took on a human name, Clark Kent, and had tried to learn about Krypton’s customs and language through The Fortress of Solitude, but it only offered so much information. He didn’t have memories of krypton, didn’t get to see it, know about Rao, or know how much history went into the crest on his chest.

Kal did try to help her as much as he could, taking her to the fortress, feeding her heightened appetite, teaching her human languages, and customs, teaching her to simply touch another person without breaking them and measuring her speed and strength. She was thankful, but the adjustment wasn’t easy, she was still mourning krypton, had so much information to take in, and trying to keep herself from falling apart. 

That became a greater challenge when Kal decided to leave her with the Danvers, he trusted them, but to her they were strangers. Kara tried to understand, she really did, Kal had his own life, he couldn’t keep sustaining her, he had a job as a reporter, he had a job as Superman, he was fighting for truth, justice, and the american way, and he was lucky enough to find a human mate that he didn’t have to hide from. It still stung. Kal and Kara were the last children of Krypton, the last of an annihilated species, they were family, El Marayah, stronger together. 

She stayed quiet, taking on the human name of Kara Danvers, and tried to live a relatively normal life. Jeremiah and Eliza understood the adjustment, knew the price of having a kryptonian child, and eased her into her human role. However, her new sister, Alexandra seemed to hate her. Kara was pretty sure Alex would have tried to throttle her if she didn’t break herself in the process, and suddenly have to deal with her.

Alex had to share a room with her, Alex had to share her parent’s affection with her, Alex was told to protect her, Alex was constantly reminded to be nice to her. She felt as if she was robbing Alex of a decent life, but after a few months Alex accepted the change, and actually started seeing her as a sister. Turns out there is a kind heart behind those stony walls. 

When she finally decided to go to school anyone who messed with Kara in any way got the full force of Alex. Erik tried to trip her, earning himself a black eye. Jenna tried to corner her, and got herself a bloody nose. Rachel simply threw a paper at her head and found herself on the floor. 

Things changed after Kara and Alex snuck out to fly one night, Jeremiah suddenly had a new job, was away from home, Eliza forbade her from using her powers, and Alex was always close by. Kara didn’t know what happened, why Jeremiah had left, or what he was doing in South America when his plane crashed. It took a toll on the family, Jeremiah had become a fatherly figure, and one of the few items Kara had from him were the lead-lined glasses. 

But while Kara understood the need to hide her powers, there was more to her than just being invincible or being Superman's cousin. Locked away in Kara’s mind was knowledge, some of Krypton’s own advancements were beyond human comprehension. 

As someone who was bred and born for Krypton’s science guild the mathematics of Earth were basic to her. She could solve the most complex equations in seconds, and understood the sciences that surrounded her daily life. Kara decided to embrace that part of herself, a piece of home, she surpassed her peers with ease, even to the protests of Eliza and Alex. Maybe she could change the world in her own way.

Soon enough Kara landed herself a scholarship at MIT and NCU to receive her Masters in Neuroscience, Environmental Health Engineering, and Bachelors in Aerospace Engineering, and Physics. She made sure that no matter what path she took, no human imbecile would be able to undermine her intelligence. 

For the first time since Kara arrived on Earth she had a plan, or rather, a vague idea of what she wanted to do. Until Superwoman happened.

*

Kara didn’t know why she bothered with human concepts such as dating, on Krypton the matrix would help her choose a partner, but the closest thing Earth had to the matrix was online dating. It was grotesque, boring, and creepy. Nonetheless she gave it a (shawty) attempt. 

Right after finishing college Kara moved to National City, and managed to snag an apartment on the dingy and rent controlled side of town. Alex visited her 3 to 4 times a week, and decided to drop by before boarding a flight to Geneva while Kara was preparing for a blind date. They said their goodbyes and well-wishes before both Danvers sisters had to run off.

It was not surprising, albeit embarrassing when her date stood her up. She received the sorry looks from strangers and staff, but at least she received the pity dessert… so that went well. Night had fallen when Kara finally got her ass up and started walking home. 

Kal-El was beyond lucky to find a human mate, but maybe finding one for herself was not written in her destiny. Humans could be so fragile, how would Kara even protect her human mate, when Kara could accidentally break them? Did Kal-El also harbor that fear of hurting Lois? If Kara ever found a human mate, then perhaps she would ask for advice...

“FLIGHT 237 ENGINE TROUBLE”

“City airlines Flight 237 bound for Geneva is experiencing some loss of altitude, pilot seems to be circling the city after apparent engine failure.”

Alex. Flight to Geneva. Her sister was on the plane.

Kara ran out into the street, looking up at the sky, and at the burning plane quickly descending, she immediately forgot the years of Eliza’s and Kal-El’s warnings. The only thoughts in her mind were that the plane needed to be saved, not only for Alex, but for dozens of others bound for death. She went into the nearest alley way, and due to years of repressing her powers, she started at a human sprint. The glasses were discarded first, and then the coat. One jump, she stayed up for a few seconds before her feet hit the ground again. Another jump and she was flying up into the sky. 

Turns out catching and saving a plane was no easy task, it took some effort to match its speed, and her flying wasn’t as steady as she wished. The engines started to explode, and the plane began to tilt, she finally made it to the plane’s underside, and began leveling it off. The other obstacle was the bridge packed with cars. 

Damage was caused to the bridge, but luckily there were no casualties or injuries before the plane landed in the waters of National City. The Danvers sisters locked eyes, Kara finally feeling some sort of liberation, and Alex was wide-eyed, and full of worry. 

The news of the female heroine spread across the nation overnight. Kara listened to everything, the news channels, praise, criticism, debates, discussion, supporters, admirers, protesters, and skeptics. New questions were raised: Was she kryptonian? Where had she been over the past few years? What was her relation to Superman? Were they lovers (ew!)? Were they family? How would the new super affect National City? How much would it cost to have a new super?

It was a lot to take in, for everyone, and soon Alex came knocking at her door.

Kara understood some of her sister’s anger and worry, just like Kal-El, Kara would gain enemies that could put her family and friends in danger if her identity was exposed. She would have to keep secrets, spew constant lies, and she would be heading into danger every time she went out. Kal also worried, he wanted her to stay low, but knew not to fight against Kara. He even offered her some advice and help should she need any. For now she had a few problems to face. 

First, was the media, at the forefront of one discussion was CatCo. They wanted to give the heroine a name for their brand. She was used to companies making money off her family crest, but Supergirl… really? Kara had to interfere, choose a name for herself, and publicly announce herself as Superwoman. Kara and Cat Grant came to an agreement, and sometimes it would be Cat that gave her the motivation to keep going.

Second, was the suit. She decided to design it herself, many would think the idea of the red and blue color scheme was to parallel her cousin, but really the red and blue were her house colors on Krypton. The same explanation went for the crest, “the S” they called it. It was far more than an S, it was a symbol of hope, of unity, and of family that hailed from El Marayah. There was the skirt, she would later curse herself for it, while the look was good and simple it was still not adequate in a fight, one day she would change it. Then the cape came simply due to aerodynamics, better for controlling her flight.

Third, was the DEO (Department of Extra-normal Operations) which made themselves known to Superwoman a few weeks after taking the mantle of superhero. It was a peaceful day, Superwoman was being the dutiful hero, bringing snakes down from trees, putting out fires, interfering with robberies, and saving lives when pain exploded on her side. Kryptonite bullets, and Superwoman fell into darkness. When consciousness returned Kara found herself in red room, strapped down to a table and Alex standing above her. Seems her sister had been working for a secret government organization over the past few years. Fun. 

The DEO tried to stop her superhero activities but Kara and the DEO struck a deal instead, Superwoman would work and help the DEO to stop alien threats, or interfere with civilian emergencies. 

The fourth problem was a job, Kara was barely scraping by, you’d think that with all those college degrees that she could cash out, and hatch a get-rich-easy scheme, but now that she was out as Superwoman the job needed to have requirements. Passable, overlooked, fit for emergency runs, and an income that could sustain her endless appetite. In this predicament she took after her cousin, and sought a reporting career. (freelance reporter, what a shame) but at least she got to meet some of the rich and powerful.

The fifth problem was the toughest to face, it brought back memories of Krypton, and revealed painful truths. Fort Rozz. While Kara’s pod had been thrown into the phantom zone, it also pulled along the infamous prison that was brimming with the vengeful criminals. The prison landed on earth, the inmates joined forces, led by General Astra, her aunt. Suddenly, Kara and Kal-El were not alone, they were not the last children of krypton, or the strongest warriors. Astra was the same as Kara remembered, the mirror image of her mother. They were family, but they were also enemies, well, because Aunt Astra was planning on using Myriad to enslave “save” Earth. Luckily, Astra was guided once again by Rao’s light, and put an end to Non, who took the power after she left, and brought down the regime of Fort Rozz prisoners. 

The journey of redemption her aunt took was not easy, it never was, but along the way she told Kara what truly happened on Krypton. The planet was being destroyed by its inhabitants. The council knew about it for years. They did nothing. They let Krypton die. Alura, Zor-El, Jor-El and Lara did nothing. Her parents could have saved Krypton, had the power to do so, and simply stood by, choosing to save only Kara and Kal-El. When Astra and Non tried to speak the truth Alura used Kara to capture Astra. Subsequently Astra and Non were sentenced to Fort Rozz.

The love and adoration in which Kara had founded the memory of her parents came crumbling down, drenched in Kryptonian blood. She no longer knew what was truth or lie.

Many lines started to blur. One being the blessing and curse of her powers. It was amazing that she could do so much, close to physically unbreakable, able to save hundreds, and use her image to inspire hope. But maybe it was selfish of Kara to want a semblance of normalcy, to be Kara Danvers and Superwoman at once. 

It was made worse by Alex, who unknowingly seemed to gravitate more to Superwoman than Kara. Of course they were one in the same, but their interactions were mostly at the DEO or about her superhero activities. She missed the late nights of potstickers, alcohol (for Alex), and Disney classics that would leave both Danvers sisters a weeping mess. Steadily Alex tried to encourage her to work for the DEO, Kara passed it off, then J’onn made a job offer, both became persistent. But Kara refused to work for them, to become a government slave, or their pretty lap dog. 

Finally 3 years after the rise of Superwoman an alien invasion came. A species that had history with Krypton thousands of years ago, a species that was frowned upon for its wild mannerisms. They traveled across the stars after their planet was left decimated, hoping to find a new place to call home. They found Earth. With their army they planned to bend humans to their will, and rebuild the planet into their liking. It would have been an easy victory if it wasn’t for the remaining kryptonians, and the vast amount of Lead humans had, which was fatal to them. Superwoman made it into the mothership, and challenged their queen, at the exact moment when the president gave the order to bring down the ship. 

With the fall of their queen the remaining fleet retreated. Kara should have died that day, but she crawled and clawed her way out of the wreckage, and took her chance. To the people of Earth-38 Superwoman was dead, even if no body was found, but what happened to Kara Danvers?

Once healed Kara formed her own plan, to take a break, to prepare, to deal with the growing anger and resentment. She left a message for Eliza, Alex, and Astra to know that she was alive, leaving for an indefinite amount of time, and prayed to Rao that they would understand. Then she traveled to Metropolis, walked through the doors of LuthorCorp, and sat across Alexander Luthor. 

She had heard a great deal about him, mostly from Kal-El. Lex was a brilliant, powerful, and rich man, and maybe that was why Kara unofficially sold the New Energy Resources to him. She made millions, hundreds of millions, only Rao knows how, but all in cash, and hid them in the arctic, in the deep crevices of the earth, only for her to find upon returning. 

That night, Kara pressed down on the breaching device. The blue portal opened, taking only her necessities Kara stepped through, and into Earth-1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Sorry for any spelling mistakes  
-Superaunt!!! Astra deserved better  
-Follow on Twitter: @endgamegay
> 
> (You guys still think Crisis will be good? Will Lena be in it? and What's up with all the Superman's?)


	3. Welcome To Earth-1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara goes to Earth-1 and meets people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> twitter: @endgamegay

Moving to Earth-1 was a somewhat impulsive decision, it had been at the back of her mind for a while, having visited a handful of times to help The Green Arrow or The Flash, but at the end, Kara concluded it to be an absurd idea. Ridiculous… right? To be in a world different from her own… 

Watching her planet explode was traumatic, sleeping for 24 years certainly didn’t help, finally arriving on earth to hide as human was aggravating, becoming Superwoman was nice for a short time, and discovering her parent’s incompetence was heart-wrenching. It took a toll, but voluntarily moving to another universe was refreshing.

On Earth-1 Kara didn’t have a doppelganger, there was no Alex or Eliza, no Superwoman or Superman, in fact, there were no kryptonians. It could be for various reasons, perhaps on Earth-1 Krypton didn’t explode, maybe her parents took action, maybe it did explode and took Kara and Kal-El with it, maybe their pods landed on another planet, maybe she was still trapped in the phantom zone, still dreaming. 

Ever since her last visit to Earth-1 more heroes had risen to protect their world, meaning that Kara didn’t have to take on any superhero responsibilities. There was a wide variety of them from meta-humans to vigilantes, each different, unique, and understanding. They knew the sacrifices of being heroes and with them Kara founded friendships where she didn’t have to hide her true self. 

*

But on some nights she would overthink, the anger and sadness blossoming in her chest, thoughts cutting deep, and hollowing her out.

Fours weeks into her arrival, and Kara was having one of those nights. She went to Big Belly Burger in hopes that food would cure her pain, but for once she was not hungry. So, she walked, and walked, no real sense of direction or idea of her location. 

Alas she slumped against a wall, slid to the ground, and held tightly to herself, watching the cars speed by. It was probably an hour later that she was shaken out of her trance. 

“Y’know there’s trouble here?”

Kara turned to find a man, bald but face obscured by shadows walking towards her. He could try to hurt her, but she could snap him in half. “What’d you want?”

“You’re in my spot.”

“Your spot?” Kara asked, slightly confused.

“Yeah, eat, sleep, and drink here.”

She took in her surroundings. It was an old, damp, and dark area, perhaps not the best side of town, but what could the people here possibly do to her?

“Should I leave then?”

“Maybe, but it’s nice to have company.”

“You aren’t getting anything out of me.”

“I don’t want your money, or flattery”, he stated flatly.

They didn’t talk for a long while, opting for a peaceful and comfortable silence. Kara’s emotions calmed and thoughts eased, then her stomach growled loud enough for the stranger to turn. At least she still had some Big Belly Burger in hand.

“You want some?” she asked opening the bag.

“Thought I wasn't getting anything from you.”

“What? Got anything better?”

He sighed in resignation before taking the cold fries. “What’s your name?- wait, letme think, you look like a Linda. I’m going to call you Linda.”

Kara smiled, munching at her burger, and thought about correcting him, but she rather liked the name. “Fine, but what’s your name?”

“Alexander Joseph, but the people around here call me Lex.”

Huh, Lex. Reminded her of home. “How are the people here? How do you survive?”

Lex was silent for a while, Kara worried she pried too much too quickly but- “The people around here can be cruel. Well, everybody can, but it’s a different sort around here, that’s why you can’t just survive.” He paused. “You’ve got to learn, you’ve got to strive forward. Knowledge is very powerful, I know a lot of things that can hurt a lot of people, but it’s whether you decide to use it and how that defines you.”

“You have power here?”

“In a way, yes. But I’m fine, I’m okay with the way things are, these streets run rampant with crime but it’s nothing new, what would people do without it? How ‘bout you, Linda? Life seems to be all over the place?”

She let it out, “I- I have power, in many ways. I can do a lot of things too, and I have, I helped people, fought for them, worked by day and by night, but in the end it never felt like I did enough, there was always more to be done, more to be expected. Then I ran, I saw a chance, and ran away from it all.” her eyes lined with unshed tears. “I just want to be a little selfish, maybe buy myself some potstickers.”

Lex laughed, “You think buying yourself potstickers makes you selfish? How do you even exist? I just met you, but I feel like you deserve to be selfish, you seem to worry about others, you should worry about yourself sometimes, you probably deserve more credit than you’re given.”

Oh, Rao, why was she was crying again? “Maybe, not alone thought, perhaps it'll be nice to share them”

Kara stood, swaying slightly, and helping Lex up. This was not how she had expected her night to go, she did not expect to be sitting at a restaurant at 3 am, and inhaling multiple orders of potstickers with a stranger, a doppelganger that she met an hour ago. 

"May we meet again, Linda."

"May we meet again, Lex."

* 

Of course Kara intended to return to Earth-38, but Barry helped her create a new identity, for now she was Linda Lee, she took Lex’s advice and let herself be selfish and relax. Her initial plans were to stay for a few months, around a year, but nothing solid. With no National City Kara decided to get a small, cheap apartment in Central City and resume work as a freelance reporter which gave her the opportunity to travel and know more about Earth-1.

There was also no Metropolis, but Gotham existed in both Earths along with a caped crusader. On Earth-38 there was Bruce Wayne, playboy billionaire by day, and the fearsome Batman at night, but on Earth-1 there was Kate Kane, tattooed billionaire by day, and equally fearsome Batwoman at night. When Kara and Kate met they circled each other, a small dance where neither knew how to approach the other. It was only when Kara met her as Batwoman did the scale start to tip. 

Kara could hear their heartbeats, 3 men following her as she took shortcuts through dark alleyways back to the hotel, but an added heartbeat followed them. She already knew it was the Kane girl. 

They advanced on her, quicker footstep, rapid heartbeats, and the masked female, Batwoman, came down from the rooftops. The heroine had them on their backs, unconscious within seconds. One quick x-ray scan and Kara’s theory was confirmed. 

When she made sure no one could hear Kara spoke, “Thank you, Miss Kane”.

The heroine whirled around, hardened and ready to get answers, but Kara was gone. 

The next time they saw each other was when Kate tracked her down. Kara was steadily typing on her laptop reporting on Gotham crime decrease since Batwoman’s arrival when a frappuccino was placed in front of her. 

“It seems I've found a ghost by the name of Linda Lee.”

She looked up at a frowning Kate, with a dainty smile on her face. “Ah, Kate, you seem eager to see me.”

“Who are you, Miss Lee? Your profile is clean, too clean, but looking closely, you just exist.”

“Am I not supposed to exist?” (She wasn't.)

Kate gave her a no-nonsense look. “What are you doing in Gotham?”

“Reporting the news. You know, I find Gotham’s caped hero quite interesting? Intimidating, adored, feared, and inspiring. Leaves you wondering who’s that fiery redhead in the skin tight suit.”

Kate was calm, scary calm, sending shivers down the kryptonian’s back, “What do you want? Favors? Money?”

“I want nothing from you Kate”, she said, closing her laptop, and gathering her belongings. “Walk with me?”

They walked in silence for a few blocks, Kara pondered over broaching the whole ‘I’m an alien’ and ‘I’m from another universe’ topics. Did Kate know about the multiverse? Her thoughts were interrupted by her own grumbling stomach, cursed kryptonian appetite was leaving her on a budget. 

“So you would not believe this.”

“Try me.”

“There is this place on 4th that makes the best burgers- I mean, you would not believe it. Big Belly Burger is phenomenal- if you’re hungry, or angry, or hangry, then Big Belly is the place to go. Just imagine digging into one. Nice toasted buns, the meat is equal parts thick, juicy, and greasy, fresh cut lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, and, well, don’t even get me started on the fries th--”

“OH GOd, stop, just stops.” It seems that Kara had succeeded in annoying the heroine. “Miss Lee, would you like some Big Belly Burger.”

YES! Success. 

“...If you agree to talk, and leave Gotham.”

Kara pouted, “Fine”

Kara never said she was cheap, and felt slightly bad for taking advantage of Kate’s offer. She ordered two double meat burgers, with extra fries on each, one order of chicken strips and nuggets with extra sauces, two sandwiches, and a banana split. She wasn’t lying about Big Belly’s Burger, it even seemed to be a universal concept, as it was on Earth-1, Earth-38, and (from what she heard) Earth-2.

She sat there, mouth watering as the trays of food were placed on the table, ready to dig in.

However, Kate wasted no time, already throwing questions, “How do you know about me?”

At this point she was too hungry to care, “I’m an alien.”

She scoffed, “I’ve never heard of aliens, and how does that have to due with you finding out?”

“On earth I have superpowers, including x-ray vision. It was pretty simple, but I suspected it before you showed up in the alley.”

If the vigilante was surprised she didn’t show it. “What about the you being alien part?”

“You don’t really know about aliens, since, for whatever reason there are close to none in this universe. In my universe, Earth-38, aliens are more common, it’s almost normal to see them on your way to work, work with them, or know them. Most still face backlash, and threats of deportation, but the main reason for refuge on earth was intergalactic warfare, decimated planet, or banishment. Fortunately I’m able to pass as human.”

“Your universe?” Kate asked with a hint of surprise (finally) in her voice.

“Multiverse”

“Why did you come to this universe?”

Kara paused for a moment, thinking back to her earth, Superwoman, National City, Alex, J’onn, Astra, Kal…

“I was a hero, just like my cousin, I fought for truth, justice, and the american way, I protected my city, my people, but that changed. Things change. People change”

They sat silent for a few moments before Kate slowly continued, “You suspected before you saw me?”

“Some earths parallel, such as cities, and alternate versions of yourself. On my earth Kate Kane, and Batwoman don’t exist, but there is someone else that moonlights as Batman. Equally as badass. You billionaires and your superheroing activities.”

Kate smirked, “Batman?”

“Oh, yea- says Batwoman.”

“When will you leave Gotham?”

“Soon, maybe a few days, I’m still getting to know this universe. New cities, new heroes, new baddies.”

“How long will you stay in this universe?”

“I have no idea, my departure wasn’t planned, so neither is my return.”

“Will you return?”

“Yes.”

“Are you really going to eat all that food?”

“Yes.”

“Wanna go out for a few drinks?”

“Yes.”

Hours later…

“Want to come home with me?”

“Yes.”

For the first time in three years Kara let herself go, and enjoyed every single moment of it.

*

After a few months Kara missed Alex, Astra and Eliza, sometimes dreaming of them, but she continued to see more of Earth-1, exploring this world and herself in the process.

Upon leaving Gotham she boarded a flight to Star City, and decided to stay for a while. She was going to get herself an apartment, but Oliver let her stay at the Queen residence, and she became a small member of Team Arrow for a while. In Star City she had her fair share of run-ins. From petty criminals, to The League of Assassins, Deathstroke, Prometheus, Brick, and Huntress. It was serious, tough, and action packed. 

Kara finally put her kryptonian knowledge to use, developed small tech for them, sometimes joining up with Team Flash, and Team Legends to complete missions, and join the annual fight club. 

At times she would try to keep to herself, but eventually Barry offered to let her use STAR Labs. Unlike Team Arrow, with The Flash it was fun, and hectic, and confusing. Every time she would walk through the unsecure doors of STAR Labs there was something new. Occasionally trying to repair the timeline after Barry wrecked it (again). Eobard Thawne somehow still being alive. One day Harrison Wells was alive, the next he was dead, the next moment there was a new one? There seemed to be an endless supply of them. New speedsters. More Earths. 

She tried not to question it, but at one point she found herself in Earth-2. Not just herself, but an older, and more aggressive version of herself, a doppleganger, Powergirl. Then, Earth-3… Criminal Superwoman (but not Kara)? Ultraman? Owlman? Power Ring? Sea King? The Crime Syndicate? No thanks. She decided to stick to Earth-1 and Earth-38, and not venture into the history of Earth-2 or 3. 4 Earths was too much.

When she did return to Earth-1 Kara started working on plans for her return to Earth-38. When she went back home she would be Superwoman again. She would be prepared, secure, and stronger than before, armed with technology beneficial to her. 

First she started by manufacturing a couple of red sun bracelets, small, portable, and discreet to render her almost human, to help her live without her powers, to cut back on her calorie intake, and to save her budget.

Second was a protection against kryptonite. Back on Earth-38 The DEO failed to provide protection against the green substance, even when if hurt her time and time again. She wasn’t as stupid as they thought, Kara knew that they had their own storage of kryptonite. They wanted had wanted to keep her on a tight leash.

Third was the yellow sun lamps to recharge her powers in case of emergencies, even if she was stubborn about the sun bed, it did help. At this point it had been two years since her arrival on Earth-1. She thought she was prepared to go home, but her plans changed. 

It was after a long day of wearing red sun bracelets, and all Kara wanted to do was nap. But when Kara walked into her apartment a woman sat on her bed. 

Kara was about to apologize, thinking she walked into the wrong apartment… but, wait, no, this cheap decor was hers. So, who was this woman that looked like a greek goddess? It was when Kara took in her figure, her stance, and beauty that she realized who this was. She had heard of them, but those were mere rumors. The female warriors, powerful, lethal, and hidden. The Amazons. Wonder Woman.

“Is your name Linda Lee?”

Kara paused, trying to form the words, the lie, but she couldn’t, her mouth betrayed her, “No- Kara Zor-El.”

“Where are you from?”

“Krypton.” Rao damn her traitorous mouth.

“Where is this Krypton?”

“Gone. Exploded.”

Suddenly Kara took a breath of fresh air, as if she had been unknowingly drowning. A golden and glowing rope loosened from around her leg, and fell to the floor.  
The amazonian warrior stepped closer, “Hmm, Kara Zor-El of Krypton”, she said testing the title. “I am Diana, Princess of Themyscira, Daughter of Hippolyta.”

Kara didn’t know what to do, should she offer her a drink? Prepare for a fight? Bow?

“Ummm, care to explain more?”

“I’ll put this simply, Miss Zor-El. You fascinate me, in many ways you are a powerful woman, so much potential, it’s right at your fingertips. That is why I want you to accompany me, to my home, to The Amazons, give me the chance to teach you.”

Well, shit. How was Kara supposed to deny her?

So, she accepted, packing up and traveling to the isolated islands of Themyscira to train with Diana. Oh, Rao, was she in for a ride. 

The Amazons were ancient beings, but their methods were brutal and efficient. Kara had to make a place for herself, earn their respect, and become the warrior they expected her to be. She would fall, battered, bloody and bruised, lost in the painful dizziness but she would rise again, determined to prove her worth. 

Diana trained her in combat, armed or unarmed, she no longer had to rely on her powers. Kara learned to how to wield swords, daggers, spears, axes, and bows. She learned anatomy, the weaknesses of the human body, how to hold herself, how to spur on fear, how to inflict pain, how to endure pain, how to bring down men, and how to kill. 

She learned about magic, dark and beautiful. On this earth, with The Amazons the ancient gods of Greece were not myths, or fables, but reality. The gods rested in the skies, created life, humanity. Zues himself building and hiding Themyscira for The Amazons. Poseidon and The City of Atlantis. Diana, crafted from clay and the longstanding rivalry with Ares, the god of war.

She learned to be confident, occasionally falling into bed with women, exploring her own interests and body to the point where sex became a casual act. 

Within time the bloody and brutal fights that left her reeling were an art. Her body moved with ease, she was calm in the face of danger, intimidating in the face of opponents, and graceful in the face of onlookers. As Diana’s student Kara could go up against hardened warriors, able to hold her own, and gain the respect of The Amazons. She loved it, indulged in it, craved for it, a good fight, with an opponent that could push her physical boundaries, an opponent to learn from, and help her improve.

The scars that lined her body symbolized her training, the long and dreary nights, the bruised and sore muscles, the defeats, the victories, and the growth.  
There was just a tiny problem…. Home. Kara had many wonderful adventures on Earth-1, but after five years it was time to return to Earth-38, to Alex, to Astra, to Eliza, to Kal, to J'onn, to loose ends, and responsibilities.

Diana understood, Kara had told her even before coming to Themyscira that sooner or later she would have to leave. The Amazons said their goodbyes, wishing her well, and supplying a few gifts. Enchanted weapons, sweet wines (that got her drunk), soft clothes, cloaks, sashes, robes and armour embroidered with the crest of El. Kara, in turn could only thank them, for accepting her, teaching her, and sharing with her.

*

If Kara Danvers was returning home, then sooner or later Superwoman would return to the skies of National City, at least that was part of the plan. But, she didn't open a portal immediately, instead heading to Central City, in desperate need of a new suit, and Cisco Ramon was the man for the job.

He was more than happy to help, rambling on about Barry’s suit, and cool gadgets he created. Kara told him about her training, her ideas, and collections. He devoured every word, examining her old suit, and even had her take a basic personality test to get a better grasp of her character. 

They worked on the design together. The brighter reds and blues became sapphire and crimson, the ‘S’ was curved, cape draped over her shoulders, black armour on shoulders and knees, boots with iron lined heels, and the iconic skirt was replaced by pants. Kara added the kryptonite shield, and yellow bracelets, but the biggest modification came from Cisco. With the help of future technology he was able to work with nanotech to make the suit materialize from a bracelet at her will.

Kara had the look she wanted: dark, and fierce, and new. 

‘You’ve got to learn, you’ve got to strive forward.’ She had learned what she could. She had moved forward, and would continue to do so.

Once again Kara pressed down on the breaching device, this time, to Earth-38.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I created a twitter for this fanfic: https://pin.it/m2qesb2jdzbd3i  
\- Y'all watching the Joker movie?  
\- Writing is hard :(  
\- Poor Kara is getting emotionally scarred one again in crisis??? Earth-38 exploding and watching her loved ones die just like with krypton???


	4. To Friends & Foes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara meets some good and wholesome people

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy! and good luck surviving season 5 supercorp angst, poor ol' Lena is heartbroken...

It felt surreal to move to Earth-1, but more so to return to Earth-38, her life. She didn’t know what to expect, what events took place in her absence, or how her return would be perceived. What would Alex say? Or Astra? Or Kal?

The portal opened to Gotham in a lonesome alleyway. At this time the night had descended, sirens wailed in the distance, and muffled murmurs could be heard. It was the usual, normal, bleak, and cold. Memories started trickling in. Her first meeting with Batman, interviewing Bruce Wayne, visiting with Kal and Alex. Gotham was always riddled with crime, not the petty criminals or trouble makers, but the big bosses, the ones that truly sowed the seeds of death, and posed the greatest challenges.

She tentatively stepped forward, like a baby taking its first steps, and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with air. Ah, the sweet aroma of pollution and human excrement, how she missed it.

Kara pulled hair into a ponytail and straightened her glasses before continuing a path down the street, not bothering to hide. There was no underestimating Batman or hiding from Bruce Wayne, in a matter of hours or minutes he would know that she was alive, back, in his city, and he would come looking for answers. Even Kal would find out in a few days if he picked up on her heartbeat. 

In the meantime she snags the latest newspaper, and treats herself to some mint chocolate chip ice cream.

‘THE JOKER FOUND DEAD’

‘CROWNED CLOWN OF CRIME FALLS’

‘BATMAN: IS HE OUT OF BUSINESS?’

At least that was something new. 

‘The infamous Joker found dead in warehouse explosion, bringing down Robin with him, a tragic loss for the city of Gotham. Harley Quinn, his lover and partner in crime nowhere to be found, some presume her dead.’

Kara felt the incessant need to know more about everything, in her gut something felt wrong, off. The Bat hadn’t come looking yet, so she resumed her walk. Nothing was really open at this hour, public libraries didn’t open until noon, she had no phone or laptop, or other ways to obtain news.

She ended up booking a room in a shady motel and turned on the tv with a few hits. The news was the same-

Joker’s death, Robin’s death, Quinn’s disappearance, and the slight increase in crime. 

She clicked through the channels, finding the global news sources. 

‘SUPERMAN OUT OF THE SKIES’

‘LENA LUTHOR, CEO OF LUTHORCORP MOVING TO NATIONAL CITY’

‘SUPERWOMAN ANNUAL MEMORIAL”

‘LEX LUTHOR ATTEMPTED ESCAPE OF STRYKER MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON'

Hold up. She listened to the news anchor: ‘Alexander Luthor attempts to break out of maximum security prison. Could this be timed with the move of his sister? Have The Luthors risen to be the most dangerous family in America? Does this play into Superman’s disappearance? Will National City meet the same fate of Metropolis?’

Questions bounced in her mind, fighting back the need for sleep. What happened in Metropolis? What’s going on in National city? Where was Kal? Where the hell was Batman (he still didn’t show up)? Why was Lex at Stryker’s? Why are people scared? 

She paced the length of the room and lay in bed again after realizing that worrying was futile at the moment. Slowly sleep caught up to her. 

*

An hour later the room was filled with the glow of a red sun, and close to the bed was another heartbeat. Kara turned, coming face to face with Batman. He was bigger than she remembered, bulkier, darker, and brooding but even through the mask she could see a hint of… something. Well, he had just lost Robin.

Kara smiled and turned away, casually playing at the situation. “Came a little late, Batboy. It’s dangerous to get sloppy.”

There was a long stretch of silence before he finally spoke in that deep and raspy voice, “Where have you been, Kara? Why are you he-”

Kara interrupted, “You Bats always as so many questions. Let’s change it up for once, let me ask the questions.” Kara pinched the bridge of her nose, and whirled around. “What happened with the Joker? Wait- is that a touchy subject, how bout’ you tell me about Kal? Or maybe Metropolis?”

He was moved forward, and if looks could kill then she’d meet the same fate as the clown. “That’s not how it goes, Zor-El. You’re here, in Gotham, you don't get to prance around like you didn’t just up and vanish for 5 years.”

“Oh, but Brucey, what am I meant to say? I was in a land far, far away. A vacation, you could say.” She took a step towards him, close enough to feel his breath.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you back?”

“I don’t really know.” She moved away, “I always knew I couldn’t stay away forever. Maybe I missed this horrid place.”

“Clark was worried.”

“I know, hopefully he won’t be too mad.” Kara lounged on the bed, unafraid of the dark and broody vigilante. What she cared about was the fact that her vague plans needed to be clear, and set in place. She needed to know what had happened, and meet with the powerful and strange. “How do you deal with it? Everything?” she asked. “I know people, great and terrible, but each are extraordinary in their own way, but when I left everything was ... was just going downhill. 

“We’re different. We handle things differently, think differently, I don’t know why you are here, why you returned, where you have been, if you’re a threat or not, and I don’t like not knowing, but I know what I stand for, what I fight for. You find your own worth.”

Kara sighed, glaring at Bruce, “Quite an inspiring speech, but I know my worth. I can only hope you take my word.” She put a hand to her heart. “I, Kara Zor-El, will fight for this world. I swear it in Rao's name. I've already lost one planet, I cannot bear to lose another one."

He didn’t respond, maybe this would end in a fight. Hopefully a good one. “Okay.”

“Okay?” she had expected something else, something more, but this certainly wasn’t it, almost disappointing.

Bruce turned away, turning off the red sunlight. “How long will you stay in Gotham?”

“Eh.. A few weeks, give or take, 2 or 3, maybe 4.”

“I’ll be watching.”

“Wouldn’t doubt it, and don’t tell Kal.” With that he nodded and smoothly slung out the window and into darkness.

*

At noon she made went to Gotham’s public library, and started searching. Kara poured over onlines reports, articles, magazines and newspapers detailing the popular events of recent years. In the end there was one word on her mind, Shit.

Alexander ‘Lex’ Luthor had many titles. Son. Brother. Buyer. Seller. Genius. Former CEO of LuthorCorp. Former friend of Superman. Former friend of Clark Kent. Murderer. Traitor. Terrorist. Xenophobe. Genocidal madman. He committed terrible actions in a vendetta against intergalactic immigrants, he hurt and killed dozens, and tried to kill Kal-El. 

When Kara read: ‘The energy source of the weapons have yet to be uncovered…” She knew the answer. It was her, it was all her. Five years ago, she had sold the New Energy Resources to Lex, someone who had the means to do good with them, but Lex had done the opposite. She had thought him morally incapable of it, but he had honed the New Energy Resources into weapons, created death and destruction. Kara had almost become the very reason for her cousin’s downfall, the boy she was firstly tasked in protecting. 

It could be poetic, written into a tragedy or a comedy. For family to unknowingly tear each other apart, for friends to become foes. May Rao forgive her, because at the moment, to her, Kara Zor-El was no hero. How could she be when she indirectly became an outlet of Lex’s crimes?

Digging deeper she found that his motivations and plans began a year before their exchange. Lex had data collections on Kryptonians, created various forms of kryptonite, and a suit Kill Kal. He was stopped, but because Kara had trusted him dozens were hurt… killed. 

Luckily, his sister Lena Luthor took over the company, currently moving to National City, withdrawing military contracts and weapons manufacturing. Rumor has it she was a tough, cold and expected to become her brother. However, Miss Luthor was without a doubt, highly intelligent, and Kara had seen her in passing, so she knew what the youngest Luthor was gorgeous.

After taking in all the information, she started searching up Eliza, Alex, Astra, and ‘Clark Kent’. At least this news was better. 

On Eliza’s part nothing changed. Her adoptive mother still lived happily in Midvale. She took a job at an elementary school to make money, even branded as ‘Teacher Of The Year’ 2 years in a row, and relaxing on her leisure times. 

Searching for Alex was useless, as she was working for a clandestine government organization and most of her records were falsified. The same went for Astra, if she had been given an identity then Kara couldn’t find anything on her, and there was no news of any new kryptonians. 

Superman was out of the skies, but when she searched for Clark Kent much of what she found was from the Daily Planet, at least he was alive, and recently published. He was always careful, very little to no social media presence.

As for herself, Kara Danvers, she couldn’t find anything except for her basic records, and articles. That would need to change, because right now she was going into a path of trouble.

*

There were a few people Kara wanted to chat with, or rather take care of. 

She waited, one ear listening to the news, the other listening to the world around her, until Harley Quinn finally made an appearance on Gotham’s east side. In her true fashion, snarky, chaotic, agile, and care-free, The Quinzel, had made this fight bloody, probably mourning the loss of her beloved madman. This was the moment Kara had been waiting for, she just needed to find her before Batman. 

It was a desperate and hasty search of the area, soon Bruce would know she was up to something, but Kara found this queen of crime in the dark and damp sewers. Just like Batman, there was no underestimating her. 

Quick by human standards Harley jumped at her in the darkness, Kara let the wooden bat hit the side of her temple, effectively splintering it into pieces. 

Even without her x-ray vision Kara could make out the woman’s silhouette, and practically feel the grin playing across her face. “You ain’t Batsy”; she said in that high-pitched voice.

“Seems so, but I give you props for the greetings, Quinzel.”

The next moment the sound of gunfire and laughter echoed across the tunnels as Harley emptied her ammunition into Kara’s chest, each bullet flattened, bouncing to the ground, and ruining her clothes. “Well, if it ain’t Supes. I haven’t seen your face in years, whatcha been up to? Lemma tell ya, I ain’t going with Bats, not after what he did to my puddin’. ”

Kara grinned, “Your ‘puddin’ is dead Harleen, better question would be what are you doing now? He isn’t for you to be his pretty little doll. He’s ash now.”  
“I’m having my fun before Batsy ruins it all. He ain’t fun, now he ain’t nothing either without Mr. J.” She moped.

Rao, was Harley, a woman of great potential, good and bad really that enamoured with the allure of the clown? “That’s it then? You were just his trophy, his little pawn to bend to his will?” Kara asked, indulging is Harley’s outrage.

“MR. J WAS A GOOD MAN.”

Kara stepped closed, prodding at the woman. “But you were happily serving him. Now that he’s gone so is you purpose.”

“Careful, Supers, gonna make me cry. If ya gonna take me away, then try it, I ain’t afraid of you.”

“Oh, no, no, no, Harleen, I’d hate to see you cry, but, I am trying to make a point. Joker’s dead, Batman will find you soon enough, Ivy and Kyle are doing their own thing, so, where does that leave you?” She clicked her tongue. “I’m certainly not here to lock you up, as useless as it would be, It’d also be a waste of some great skills.”

Harley pounced at her again, this time Kara used her super speed to evade the attack. “I ain’t workin’ for you, Supes. You ain’t seen it all, you ain’t my puddin’.”

“Why not?” She asked, mimicking a whine. “I may not be your Mr. J, but I'm offering up something new. Move away from Gotham. Help me in National City. Put those skills to good use. I’ll pay sometimes. May not be your normal, but I’ll let you make it bloody sometimes.”

It was true, Harley may have been at the Joker’s side for years, but she was without a doubt a competent and intelligent fighter.

“So ya going back into business. Whatcha playin’ at Supes, trying to set me straight?”

“Like I said, you have skill, I could due with having someone like you at my side. Make no mistake, should you become a danger, I will have to take you out.”

Quinn darted up, dangling from overhanging metals. “I rather like this new you, Supes, takin’ risks and all, but I dunno if superheroing is my thing.”

“I’ll be around for a few more days, if you want to talk then give me a shout.” Kara turned to leave before remembering- “oh, and I need something from you.” 

“Hmmm, fine.” 

“Where is Lawton?”

*

Deadshot, The Man Who Never Misses was once one of the most sought after assassins. Was.

Kara knew his identity, Floyd Lawton. He seemed to have retired 3 years ago, living in Gotham’s older areas, and spending the money he made during his career in crime. 

Naturally, Kara had to visit one of the world’s deadliest sharpshooters.. 

Upon arriving at the location she let her hair loose, flew up to the window of his apartment, dismantling it, and worming her way inside. His apartment was fancy, well-kept with very few personal touches. There was just one picture of is daughter, Zoe Lawton, perhaps one of the reasons for his retirement, as he was not allowed to see her anymore.

However, one couldn’t just let go of old habits. An x-ray scan revealed various types of guns, ammunition, and knives, between couch cushions, inside pillow cases, inside draws and cupboards, strapped to the underside of tables and chairs, hell, even inside the toilet tank. 

Floyd was always prepared, and knew when something was wrong. Kara heard his heartbeat, the key turning in the lock, the small intake of breath, the gun being drawn and cocked, and the careful footsteps. She sat on his couch, idly waiting. 

“I don’t know who you are, but you better start begging, if not I put a bullet through your head.”

“Relax, Deadshot. I’ve come in peace.” He fired, little noise thanks to the silencer, but just like before the bullet bounced off her skin. “What part of ‘I’ve come in peace’ do you not understand?”

He looked down at the flattened piece of metal, “The part where you broke into my house. Then the part where you know. Then, the fact that you’re bulletproof.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, yeah, those are some valid points, but what would you have done if I came knocking on the front door?” She asked. “I do sincerely apologize for breaking in, and springing this on you, but I just want to talk.”

Floyd could give Batman a good fight, and anyone that came his way, he could find a way to take down kryptonians, but that time isn't now, not without red sun lamps or kryptonite. She still let him attack, he lunged forward, closing the distance between them, and slammed her into the wall, forearm at her throat.

“What do you want?” A look of familiarity passed over his face. “Last thing I expected today was superwoman on my couch.”

“What can I say? I’m full of surprises.”

“Let me reiterate, what do you want?”

“I want your help. You’re the man that never misses, like I told Harley, it would be a shame for such skill to wither away.”

Floyd laughed, a genuine laugh. “Wow, The girl of steel hiring me for a hit? You know, you’re really cruel, to give a man false hope. I’ve done terrible things, but this is something else.”

“Why does your daughter refuse to see you?” she practically hissing, he tensed at that. “You are a killer, that’s why. every time you pulled the trigger you pulled it with the intent of spilling blood. Years ago your little girl would look up at you and see her dad, a hero, her knight in shining armour who could do no harm. But Susan… Susan told her the ugly truth. Susan showed her your true colors, the mask, the body count, the blood you spilled. Now, when that little girl looks at you like you’re the monster under the bed.”

“YOU’VE NO RI-”

Kara bolted forward, pushing him away. “What would you give? For Zoe to even look at you? To see her daddy? To see a hero?” she steadied her breathing. “Now, let me be the one to reiterate, I want your help because you have potential, but it could also be your chance. This is your choice, you have five days to decide.”

He remained silent as she left through the door this time, no sarcastic replies or whispered comments.

*

Kara knew that if Harley, Deadshot, and potentially others chose to take up her offer, then things could go awry. People would think her the insane one for even doing this, society had trapped her in a cage of diction and rules, what superheroes are meant to be, what they should do, how they should act, all to keep her in place. She did understand, all the power used to save people, bending steel, crushing bone, shooting laser beams, inciting a blizzard by breathing, flying at sound speed, if she was someone else, raised differently, or let the power go to her head then the abilities that had branded her a hero could do irreversible harm. 

There was just a point where she took a step back to look at the system crafted for her and decided not to follow it. Now, she looked forward to starting again, a rebirth of sorts, doing things her way, to protect the people of earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it feels rushed, I've just been tired the past few days, hope you guys have a nice night or day :)
> 
> \- What do y'all think of Harley Quinn, just in general?  
\- Sorry for any spelling mistakes


	5. Welcome To National City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena deals with moving to National City by using her totally healthy coping mechanisms (some good ol' drinking)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate seeing Lena drinking but I sort of like tormenting characters. Hope you enjoy!

Lena lounged in her office, curled into a ball on the couch, heels discarded, hair loose, and drink in one hand, able to relax for the first time since arriving in National City. Jess left an hour ago, practically pleading for Lena to do the same, but it was a futile attempt, chances were that she wouldn’t leave her office for another week. Work had been calling. Her PR team was trying to deal with the backlash of the move, business meetings and conference calls filled the majority of her schedule, and there were the advancements in image-inducer prototypes that her R&D team had been working on. 

It was more than initially anticipated, but she dealt with it in her own ways, powering through her days with coffee and alcohol, all to be disapproval of Jess. Her assistant would leave meals on her desk, lest Lena forget to eat as usual, and shooing away reporters who would try to get a story on the youngest Luthor and the horrid plans she had in store. 

She had yet to put out a statement to the city or accept any interviews, she continued to stall on the task, unsure of what to say. The public had already made up its mind. To them she was just like her brother, on the precipice of madness, a danger to the public, a ticking time bomb, she was the villain of of greater story. The few times she stepped out of the office, out of LuthorCorp she was shown how much she was wanted here. 

There were numerous examples of this, one was her first week in National City. Even though Lena saw Sam on a regular basis it was mostly for work, so she had finally cleared enough of her schedule to meet at a new italian restaurant. Her driver had punched in the address and was ready to go but the sound of gunshots went off, filling the silence outside the vehicle. She quickly ducked in the backseat, phone in hand, already dialing 911, her driver was armed, ready should any of the attackers try to push through her defenses.

After a few moments the gunfire and echoes subsided. The vehicle was armoured and wielded bulletproof glass attack was not the biggest or most frightening that she endured but it left her a little jumpy. The assailants were identified and arrested, but that event encouraged her to heighten her security measures. 

There were also the crimson spray paint messages witten along the side of the building.

The death threats.

The rallying protests.

There was the ‘S’ of the Supers painted on the sidewalks, pictures of loved ones killed by Lex’s actions, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, alien, and human. One day a man, once a father, stood at the entrance of LuthorCorp. He was angry, yelling and weeping at the Luthor for the death of his daughter. Lena didn’t listen much, but caught enough of his incoherent talk to know. 

“... We were a family…”

“... She was just five years old…” 

“... Blew her to bits…” 

“... Had to scrape her off ...”

That night she truly wept, she already knew what her brother had done, she didn’t need to be reminded of it every time she wanted to look out her window. That’s why she just sat in her office at the latest hours of the night, refusing to leave. She secretly implemented a room into one of LuthorCorp’s basements which only she had access to. From then on Lena didn’t go to her penthouse, instead she would head down to the room to shower, get a change of clothes and get a few hours of sleep.

Work wasn’t just calling, work had taken over her life. 

There were also more recent events that served as a pain in her ass.

Lex tried to escape from prison, almost succeeded, how he did so was still under investigation, she could only guess he planned to buy and coerce his way to freedom but now the FBI was all over the case, all over her and the company once again. They came knocking on her office doors at night after finding her empty penthouse.

Jess’s tired voice came from the intercom, “Miss Luthor, FBI Agent Danvers, and Agent Schott here to speak to you.” 

“Send them up, and you can go, Jess.” She dismissed. What could the FBI want now? Hadn’t she dealt with them enough? Lena took a moment to compose herself, and sent off one last email before the FBI agents came up to bombard her with questions about her pitiful life.

The doors opened to an authoritative redhead, and a fidgety man who clearly wasn’t used to this, both already flashing their badges.

"What do I owe the pleasure of this visit - Agent Danvers - is it?"

The woman didn’t bother with patience or niceties when it came to her job or where the young CEO was involved, she gave her the usual look of mistrust, but there was something more personal to it.. Nonetheless she choose to stay sharp and get to the point. “Miss Luthor, are you aware that your brother attempted to escape Stryker prison this evening?”

At the time she had not known, but Lex was her brother. There was always the possibility that at some point he would try for a chance at freedom, only a matter of time before his ass would get tired of sitting around in Cell Block X.

“I’m afraid not, although it does not come as a surprise.” she replied coolly.

The redhead kept a wide posture, hands on her hips, and taking up space. I would have been immensely intimidating on anyone else, “Can you tell us of your location as of 3 p.m to 6 p.m today?”

“I’ve been here all day, Agent Danvers. You can ask my assistant- if she’s still here.”

“Do you know of any possible connections or outside links your brother may have?”

Lena raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow, “Any information I held about Lex’s little minions has been handed over to the authorities long ago. I have received no word about my brother since his sentencing.” The woman didn’t seem to back down, neither did Lena. “I suppose you should know that considering the FBI keeps constant updates on him.”

Before Agent Danvers could respond Agent Schott finally decided to interject, “Can you tell us of you mother’s whereabouts.”

She smiled, “I tend to stay away from my mother, as you can guess my family is not suited for holidays or gatherings. I have not spoken to her or seen her since announcing my move to this wonderful city. Lillian could be anywhere, but I'm fine with it as long as it’s far away from me.”

“Miss Luthor, does your comp-”

Lena cut him off, “Any questions you have regarding Luthorcorp have to be taken up with my lawyers.” 

“O- of course Miss Luthor.”

“If we’re done here, then I trust you can find your way out the door.”

With the clear dismissal they headed to the door, but Agent Danvers turned to her once again, “I hope you enjoy National City, Miss Luthor.”

“I hope so too.”

*

Lena was too lost in her thoughts to notice the padding of footsteps speeding closer. So it was a little starling when Ruby burst through her office doors with Sam just a few seconds behind her. 

“AUNTIE LENA!!! I haven’t seen you for so long! I knew you’d be here!”

“Ruby you need to calm down, and oh- god Lena what are you still doing here? It’s nearly 11.”

Lena stood up, smiling, at least this was a small reprieve, she should have made more time for them. “Sam! It’s such a delight to see you, I’m sorry I haven’t really been going out, too much work, the press, my PR team is going mad, new tech.”

Sam hugged her tightly, “That’s bull, Lena and you know it. Don’t give me that look- What? Are you going to stay coddled up here?” 

Her friend could see right through her, she wouldn’t let Lena fire off anymore excuses so that she could drown herself in work. “Come on, Sam. You know how it is out there, just stressful.”

“You ever heard about something called sunlight? Gods you’re so pale.” Sam looked through the office, her eyes landing on the glass of scotch. “Have you been drinking?” she asked in a whisper.

Lena looked down, ashamed of disappointing one of the few people that actually cared about her.

“Yes.”

Before Sam could scold her Ruby spoke up enthusiastically, “Mom, can Auntie Lena stay over at our place tonight?”

“Yes, she can, that is if she wants to.” Sam gave her a look as if pleading for her to say yes.

She thought for a moment, it was nearly an hour until midnight, hours more until she escaped into her room, and Sam would probably end up dragging her out, and what else was Lena to do in her ivory tower of self deprecation other than destroy her liver? “I would love to.”

“YES! Can we stop at that 24 hour place to get some ice cream?”

“No” “Yes” stated Sam and Lena in unison.

“My treat?.” she offered. “Plus, it’s not a school night.”

Sam’s eyes widened slightly, “Lena, it is a school night, but Ruby just got in trouble. How long have you been in here?”

“Oof- you know what? Let's just go..” said Lena with slight embarrassment, and not wanting to admit she had no idea what day it was or when was the last time she actually went out. 

“Fine but no ice cream until tomorrow.”

“BUT MOM”

“Shush it, Ruby.”

*

The three headed to Sam’s house, Lena trying her best to avoid interacting with anyone else, or be recognized, she couldn’t bear it if Sam or Ruby were targeted because of their association to her. She wouldn’t put it past people to hurt an innocent woman and a child due to Lex, either those who looked for revenge, and those who were willingly bowing to him.

Meanwhile Ruby was rambling on about something. “... So what if I punched him in the face?” Ruby asked incredulously.

“Wait, what?” Lena asked, having zoned out of the conversation.

Sam huffed clearly tired of the conversation, “Rubes punched one of her classmates in the face today because he outright bullied her on multiple occasions.”

“Did she go and talk to her teachers or counselors about it?

“Yea, Ruby told some of her teachers, even some of her classmates told on the boy but the school if full of crap and didn’t do anything about it. I on the other hand didn’t know it was happening.”

Of course the school districts would only address a problem when it was convenient. Ruby had to give the jerk a bloody nose so she could get him to back off and get the school to interfere.

“The worst part is that they didn’t do anything to him. I don’t know why but I was just scared of telling mom. He kept bothering me, and making fun of me in front of his friends, I thought my teachers would help, but they’re fakes and useless. So I just punched him.” Ruby looked at Lena, smiling. “Repeatedly.”

“RUBY!” Sam warned.

“I’m just spilling facts.”

Lena frowned, “What was the boy’s name?”

“Mike Matthews isThe piece of crap who gets pleasure from degrading and undermining others.”

She hummed, maybe tonight she would make some calls.

“But atleast mom is taking me out tomorrow. We’re going to go get ice cream, and going shopping, and-” She seemed to have remembered something. “MOM-”

“You don’t have to yell, Ruby”

“Can we go to the Superwoman event tomorrow.”

Sam chanced a look at Lena, “The memorial? I don’t know Rubes. It could be dangerous even being there, remember three years ago there was a shooter, two years ago some guy threatened to blow the place, and last year there was the whole protester thing.”

There were a few things Sam failed to mention. The memorial was where people gathered to pay their respects to Superwoman, the first responders who died during the invasion, and those caught in the crossfire, but it had also become a target. 

The man who threatened to blow the place up was later revealed to be Lex (yay!). The whole ‘protester thing’ was a group of xenophobic individuals that were probably connected to Lex in one way or another. Then things could get way worse this year for numerous reasons. Recently people have been questioning and making theories on Superwoman’s supposed death, Lena Luthor the sister of the world’s most infamous xenophobe was the new girl in town and violence against aliens was rapidly increasing. 

The event would still go on, but from what she heard there will be lots of security, FBI would be there with metal detectors, bag checks, identification checks, and heavily armed guards. 

“You can watch it from home, on TV, I think they’re doing a live broadcast since a lot of people don’t want to be there, in case of attacks.” Lena suggested. 

The overly excited girl spun around to face her mother. “Can we mom?”

“I guess we have no choice.”

“Auntie Lena, do you wanna watch it with us. We can order pizza or something.”

Lena grimaced, she really shouldn’t, it didn’t feel right, not after what Lex did to so many, to Superman, and she should just hide away in her office and coddle a bottle of alcohol.

Sam saw her indecision, “You don’t have to Lena, I understand if you’d rather stay at home tomorrow.”

Then Ruby did that pout thing.

“I’ll do it. I’ll watch it with you guys.”

*

She shouldn’t have done it. 

In the morning Lena awoke with a throbbing headache. She mumbled incoherently to herself, and opted for snuggling into the velvety pillows and pulling the soft blanket over her head. 

Whose pillows and blankets were these? She had no idea.

Whose bed was she in? She had no idea.

Whose house was she in? She had no idea.

Was she sleepy? Yes.

Was she hungover? For sure.

Did her body hate her after the excessive amounts of alcohol consumption? Of course.

Slowly she started recalling the events of the previous night. Agreeing to go with Sam and Ruby. Their walk home. Shedding the stifling clothes for once. Taking the spare bedroom. Getting some fine sleep. Right now she could relax, able to sink into the mattress and have some peace and quiet.

Sam burst in through the doorway (that’s where Ruby got it from) and jostled the bed by jumping into it and onto Lena. “GOOOOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE!”

Damn it. In retaliation Lena elbowed her in the stomach, trying to resume her comfortable position. “mmm sleepy- oof.”

The blanket was ripped away from Lena’s grasp along with the pillows causing the genius of a CEO to flail like a child.

“Guess what time it is.” Whispered Sam.

Lena pushed her away, she adored the Arias woman, but really?

“Time to sleep. Just let me ...”

Sam hopped off the bed, “NOPE, it’s pancake o’ clock.” Suddenly the curtains were thrown wide open, and sunlight flooded the room, enough to make Lena’s head pulse again. “Oh, dear, here I thought you were a vampire.”

“Hmmm, shut up.”

“Come on, you gotta join us for breakfast because Ruby is still bothering me about getting some ice cream, and you-” Sam poked her side. “ Miss Luthor, promised to watch the Superwoman memorial with us, so, rise and shine. 

“I regret my life”. She groaned

“Love ya.”

Lena sat up, reaching for her phone to revise her schedule “I should do some work.”

“No, no work today.” Sam said, plucking the phone from her hand. “I already called Jess to inform her that you won’t go to work because you are not feeling well.” 

She glared, “You shouldn’t have done that, Sam, I am fine, and I need to work.”

It was true. Sort of. No, it wasn’t. At the moment the youngest Luthor wanted to hunch over a toilet and hurl her guts out. At the moment her body ached with the stiff muscles of sitting too long, back pains of people thrice her age, sore feet thanks to her heels, and a tired mind due to, well, everything. At the moment she wanted to work because it was the only thing she could do. The incessant call of the public dragged her down, and work felt like one thing she could be in control of. Worse was that Sam knew.

“Stop it, it’s a damned lie and you know it. I know you, Lena, and I care about you, whether you like it or not- and so does Ruby and Jess. You are not okay, you are not fine. You drown yourself in work and alcohol, but what will it be, huh? Will you work yourself to death? Will we find you on your desk with a stack of papers? Or will you drink yourself to death? Will you kick the bucket with a bottle of scotch one hand and merlot in the other?”

Lena just stood there, frozen in place. She hated it, the acknowledgement, Jess wouldn’t talk about it but Sam wasn’t going to turn a blind eye or let her be without a fight. She had a problem or a few dozen. She always turned to her own coping mechanisms, which were, to say the least, terrible to the point where she was doing more damage than healing.

“Whatever, please just get yourself cleaned up, and hang out with us today, You’ll get to deal with more of Ruby.” Sam ordered turning away and heading out the door.

Samantha Arias: 1

Lena Luthor: 0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyways, I don't even know if I should watch the show anymore due to forced hetero romance, out of character Lena, and some of that horrid CGI... but I mean, I still wanna see some of that Supergirl booty...
> 
> Sorry for spelling mistakes


	6. He's The Batman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Bruce talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy :/

The following days were… dry. Nights were quiet. Streets were desolate. It was surprisingly calm for Gotham, leaving her with very little to do. Not wanting to get a phone yet, the first few days consisted of staring at the small screen of the motel TV and flicking through the channels. From news and sports to cartoons, movies, and TV shows. Luckily, most of her favorite TV Shows were well versed on both Earths so she wasn’t utterly bored.

By the 6th day Kara had enough, and found herself in one of Gotham’s parks, deciding to take advantage of the peace while it lasted and donning a red sun bracelet. There she resumed some of her exercise routines to help get some peace of her own. She worked out her arms and upper body with basics, then she ran… and ran. Time blurred. Hours passed and she stopped paying attention, body automatically following the pathway, her muscles gradually beginning to ache as she sped mile after mile, and she began to think.

This world, this Earth just seemed to drag her down into a constant state of dejection. It was not like anything had happened to her, hell, only a handful of people knew that she was here, she spent 5 years away, saw multiple universes, worked with vigilantes and meta-humans, trained with literal gods, and Kara herself was powerful, but she had been excited at the prospect of returning. But the differences between worlds rocked her. Heroes were littered throughout cities, aliens were abundant, but there were no amazons, no Central City or Star City. Now, that she was here there everything seemed slow, dull, and muted with the memories of Krypton, Kal, the Danvers, and the invasion simmered at the forefront of her mind.

The most exciting thing she did was talk to Batman, Harley and Deadshot, but the vigilante was probably keeping an eye on her, while the two criminals hadn’t called out to her (yet). 

Her explanations for making offers to Floyd and Harley were true, but there was more to it. There was the fact that Kara wanted to do something, and simply acted on it. It reminded her of Red Kryptonite to do as she wanted, when she wanted. Yes, she would still seek to help people, but she was hungry for a bit of violence and danger and impulse. It would probably come back to bite her in the ass later, but she’d deal with the consequences another time.

When Kara’s run finally came to an end the moon hung overhead and she fell to her knees, drenched in sweat, too tired to stand or walk. 

She lay on the cool pavement for a few minutes, letting the soft breezes rush past her before she heard the ‘whoosh’ and his soft footfalls, Kara didn’t even need to look up to now who it was. 

Kara flashed a sardonic smile, “Did you miss me so much after seeing me so soon, Batman?”

He didn’t answer, staying silent while tucking himself away in a blanket of shadows. There was no need to talk, he dominated the night without question, but what did he do when there was no streets infested with crime? When there was no clown to chase after? Surely he would know about her meetings with Harley and Deadshot, but no longer trying to see whether she as a friend or foe.

Kara got up on wobbly legs and turned off the red sun bracelet on her wrist. She felt the energy slowly trickling into her body, muscles relaxing, and powers restored. 

She walked towards him, only stopping when their noses were nearly touching and she could feel the heat of his breath upon her face. “Tell me what you want, Batman?”

“The other day you asked me a question: How to you deal with it? I told you that we are different, thus reacting to different situations differently…”

”Jeez, thanks for the reminder, but get the point, or did you come here in hopes that I would spew some words of wisdom?”

“I don’t need advice from you, but how did you respond to it. I recall you saying that life was going downhill beforehand.”

Kara chuckled, “Ah, I see. You’re here to ask more questions. Hmm, you were right about a few things. We live different lives, I was shipped off my planet from lightyears away to avoid the same fate as billions of others, and live in this human world with inhuman powers, yet still susceptible to such human emotions, whereas you, a human were motivated to fight because of the tragedy that marred you. We’ve both experienced trauma, Mr. Wayne, on different levels. But, that’s where our similarities come into play. You but on a mask, but not this one.” She tapped the cowl of his suit. “You put on a mask as Bruce Wayne to hide emotions, and I know you certainly didn’t forget ‘Miss Sunshine Kara Danvers’, a long way we’ve come I might say. We each have our breaking point.

“Like me, you tire, all these years, day after day you put on a suit to go out and about, to save the day and stop crime. How many years have you been at this? Hmm.” She gave a tilt of her head. “Now, something has happened, what will you do?”

He scowled, “I can’t stop now. They’re not coming back, Kara, either of them. Joker is dead, one might think that is worth celebrating, but do you have any idea what will happen?”

The kryptonian moved against the vigilante. “Indulge me.”

“This city will fall into madness. It will be worse than ever. The Joker played a large part in everyone’s daily life, half the city was at his beck and call, the other half were his play things. He left behind a void that needs to be filled. There will be a power struggle-”

“You’re so hellbent on saving everyone, you give your life to fighting crime in a city that thrives on it, and I think that’s why it’s so prevalent. The wrong doers fear the dark knight, but it’s their form of entertainment. How many times did the Joker slaughter just because he wanted to jab at you, or knew you would be there?”

"Of course, you would know." He scoffed and finally shrugged her off. "You're the one helping them."

"Ouch, was that a hard pill to swallow? Fine, I'll play along and let you deflect, I fear you might start sulking."

"What would Clark say about it?"

She made a face, clearly displeased with anyone thinking Kal had control over her life. "I dunno, as you know, I haven't been around much. Maybe he'd be like, 'Kara no, you're supposed to stand for truth, justice, and blah blah blah.'" 

Bruce frowned, studying her, "So, you don't stand for truth, justice and the American way?"

"One day I will return to the skies, I may not be the same as before, I won't be the goody two shoes Kara Danvers, but I will fight for far more than that. You'll just have to wait and see." 

"You're infuriating, y'know."

"Thank you." Kara smiled softly, contemplating her next words. "Maybe, I'll let you take me out to dinner tomorrow at 6 pm, and then you'll see how infuriating I can be."

"Maybe." Was his only response.

Kara turned, already walking away. "Goodnight, Batboy. I hope you liked my words of wisdom."

*

The next day went by at relatively the same pace. She slept for the most part before fetching the TV remote and flicking through to the news reports of National City. The only thing that caught her attention was the mention of a memorial coming up but she hit mute the moment they started talking about her and the invasion.

Kara was dozing off once again with candy wrappers littering the bed when a knock came to her motel door. An x-ray scan revealed Bruce Wayne idly standing at the door, she turned to the clock. It was 6 pm on the dot.

Shit. She had forgotten, frankly she didn’t even think he would come. 

“Brucey, how lovely to see you.” She said as she swung the door open. “Lemme just swing on some nice clothes.”

It a mere 5 seconds with a flurry of movement as she grabbed some of her nicest clothes, not having taken to shopping just yet and super sped into them.

“Kryptonians” Bruce huffed under his breath.

She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and grinned at him through the mirror. “What? Oh Rao, no, don’t tell me you’re jealous.”

“Pfft, what? Why would I be jealous?” For a nightly vigilante he surely looked out of it.

She faced him, “The good ol’ superhuman abilities.”

“I don’t need superpowers to beat you or you cousin to a pulp” 

There was a difference to him. Right now, during the day he was a playboy billionaire, the relaxed, sometimes playful and mild-mannered Bruce Wayne which was a total contrast the surreal, dark and menacing Batman.

“I wouldn’t get too cocky, Bruce. We’ll just have to test it out one day.”

He smiled tightly, “One day, but today I have a few things in mind. I, as the true gentleman that I am will show you to one of the finest restaurants in Gotham city.”

A date with Bruce as not what she had in mind for her return, but she was the one who nudged him to it. Sometimes things change for the better.

“Hush, hush”. Kara whispered playfully. “Someone might hear, and wonder what Bruce Wayne is doing here, all worked up and calling himself a gentleman. Although, I am not one to refuse such an offer.”

“I promise, It will involve potstickers.”

“A hero indeed. Lets see how long you hold the title of billionaire, I’m about to ruin your fortune with my endless kryptonian appetite.”

*

Kara linked her arm in his as they walked out the cheap motel doors and to the car stationed outside with a man- Alfred (of course) sitting in the driver's seat.  
“Care to hint at where we’re going?” she asked

“No, it’s a surprise.”

The car made its way through traffic with ease and headed into the wealthier districts as Bruce continued to point out new details and give information of the past years about the city. A crowd was forming outside of a building, a banker was acquitted from murder charges, but the people thought otherwise. The protest was peaceful, but Kara wondered just how long the peace would last.

The car finally came to a halt in front of a three story building. The exterior was fancy and lavish, engravings descending down the stone walls, a row of roses crafted the pathway to the doors with angelic fountains on either sides.

"You've out done yourself, Bruce."

He only smiled as if to say 'I know'.

Aside from the extravagant decor the restaurant was empty. Kara expected such a place to have some of the rich and famous loitering around.

“Did you reserve the whole floor?” She asked.

A server greeted them with a nod, and led them to a table in the center of the floor and pouring each of them some red wines. 

“I own the place.” Bruce said.

The response elicited an eye roll from her. “Of course you do.”

“I’ve been thinking.”

“What of?”

“You.”

She leaned forward, and batted her lashes for dramatic effect, “How flattering, but I know I can have that effect on people, I just can’t handle my charm.”

He scoffed, “Don’t think yourself so high and mighty, Zor-El. I still want to get answers.”

“Outrageous. Is this Bruce Wayne’s idea of being a gentleman? Taking the girl out to a fancy restaurant, and proceeding to interrogate her?” she asked facetiously returning his scoff. “Hmm, I wonder if this is what you did with the Cat.”

The scowl he usually wore with this bat suit appeared now, “This isn’t a game.”

“It can be, if you’re willing to play. Think of it as a- what is it? A transaction, an exchange. I ask one question you answers, you ask one question I answer, then repeat.”

Platters of food were placed before them, a feast it one might say, enough to make her mouth water. Chicken, steak, fish, spaghetti, potatoes, corn, rice, and various greens (ew) lined the table. The desserts were placed too with cakes, pies, souffles, and sweet deads. Then to top it off, a plate of potstickers was placed right in front of her. Talk about food porn.

Kara couldn’t help it. She brought one potsticker to her mouth, biting down, and savouring the food that made her taste buds dance. It’d been a while since she last tastes this. She struggled to suppress a groan, or what would have been a moan.

When she finally finished savouring the delicacy she was met with Bruce’s amused face. 

“What?” She asked incredulously. “This art must be handled with care.”

“I’ll play your game, Zor-El.”

She took hold of another potsticker. “Great! I’ll be the gentleman this time and let you begin.”

They started with simple questions.

He leaned back, “What it your name?”

“Kara Zor-El, or Danvers if you prefer. What is your favorite color?”

“Black. Why did you leave?

She paused, “The DEO kept pestering me. Family problems. Superheroing problems. What went down with Lex Luthor in Metropolis?”

“You know the news. He tried to kill Superman because he thought your cousin attracted danger to the city. His morbid infatuation turned to blame that fueled his madness and hate towards aliens. Where have you been?”

“I’ve been all over the place, across the states, touring and living in some of the big cities. I’ve seen the arts of ancient civilizations. From the Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs to the Romans, Persians, Egyptians, and more notably the Greeks..” Kara took a long swig of wine from her glass to hide the smile playing across her face. It was technically true, Bruce just needed to ask the right question. “Why is Kal out of the skies.”

Bruce frowned, “I wanted you to find out when you saw them, but the house of El is expanding. Lois is pregnant, which is why Superman hasn’t been seen much, he wants to focus more on his job, Lois and the baby.”

She almost choked on the wine. The statement was a slap to the face, another reminder of how much she had missed. So much for El Marayah. Kara had resented her cousin on occasion because he broke the promise of ‘stronger together’, but then she was the one that left. Now Kal was having a child, she was going to be a what? An aunt? And she had not been there to receive the news. She would have dwelled on these facts longer, locked herself away to think about it, but Bruce continues with their game.

“Why couldn’t we find your heartbeat? Clark and J’onn were looking for you, but they never found anything. It’s like you vanished into thin air.”

This was at least something she had been expecting. She gave herself a moment to ponder her explanation. “I didn’t want to be found, that was a big part of it. I knew Kal or J’onn would probably look for me, but, oh Rao, it’s going to sound absurd, maybe, I don’t really know what your idea of absurd is anymore.”

“Try me.”

“Okay, but what I tell you, you will keep to yourself.” Kara leaned forward as he nodded, she rested her hands on the table. “What if I told you there were other worlds, entire universes each similar but different, unique in their own way? Some good with heroes just like us, on some worlds they are us either good or bad, on others the world has fallen into the wrong hands, on others there is no world but a void where there was once one.”

Bruce looked at her in disbelief before laughing, “So, what you’re telling me is... what? You just jumped into another universe?”

She gave him a pointed look, “It would explain a lot.” Kara grabbed a napkin. “Do you have a pen?” Once he reached into his suit and procured a pen she started drawing multiple circles, then pointed at the first one.”Lets say this is Earth-1. This acts as the central universe, and the one that I spent most of my time in. There’s not many aliens but it has numerous vigilantes. There’s also a lot of meta-humans, but i’m not going to delve into their history.” She moved her finger to the next circle. “This would be Earth-2. I didn’t really spend much time in there, but it has aliens, vigilanties and metas, I even have a doppelganger, it’s quite similar to Earth-1.” Kara moved to the third circle. “This is Earth-3, don’t even get me started on the whole crime syndicate. You and Kal exist in there. You’re both part of a superpowers criminal group, Kal is Ultraman and you’re Owlman.” Bruce snickered at that. “I know it’s ridiculous, but there’s a lot of universes yet to be found, most recently we found one, we call it Earth-X. In that universe the Nazi’s won the second world war.”

“Very well.” He took a moment to take in this new information. “Let's say I believe you, because to be fair, it does explain a few things, what universe are we on?”

“Earth-38.” she responded as she set her sights on the food once again. “Now, what are you going to do about the city? Last night you had your own predictions on what would happen.”

“I honestly don’t know yet.” he admitted. “Why were you talking to Harley and Floyd?”

“I’m trying something new. I told you yesterday that I would return to being my superhero-self, but I don’t want to be alone. I know they’re criminals, I’m not blind, but they have skills.”

“So, you’re recruiting them?” He asked.

“Basically- what? Don’t give me that look!”

Bruce scoffed playfully, “What look?”

“‘The what would Kal say about this look’. I don’t care what he has to say about this. What I know it that you never locked Harley or Floyd away, and they’re just rotting away right now.”

“Fine, but if this backfires it’s on you.”

“Think of it as two less criminals to deal with.”

*

They continued to eat with Bruce reserving himself and eating only in small bits, meanwhile Kara already devoured her second plate of potstickers mixed with chicken and steaks, the deserts would later fall victim to her kryptonian appetite. 

When Kara was done with her ‘consumption’ as Bruce named it, he called for Alfred, and both of them made their way to the car. It was then, with Mr. Pennyworth maneuvering through Gotham’s shadowy nights that Kara got some of what she had been hinting at for days.

If someone had come to her weeks ago to inform her that she would be making out with Bruce Wayne (as she was now) would she have been surprised?

No, probably not.

When they made it into the Wayne Manor Kara whispered, “I hope you’re as good as your Earth-1 counterpart.”

“I hope to surpass.”

*

Hours later they awoke and disentangled themselves due to an incessant ringing of a phone. 

She buried herself in the pillow, who in Rao’s name was calling at 3 am? Before she could reach over and crush the infernal device Bruce answered.

“Hello?... No, I’m at the manor… I get it… What?” The grogginess in his voice turned to irritation. “What did they do?... I’ll be there.”

“Mmm.” Kara pulled her face from the pillows. “Whut’s goin on?”

He quickly pulled himself out of bed, searching for his discarded clothes. “Work.”

With that he left and Kara was already falling back asleep, but any chance of that was thrown out the window when she heard her. 

Only her super hearing pick up the voice . “SSSUUUPPPEES.”

She slowly departed from the bed, and searched for her clothes, some of it littering the hallway, and sped into them. Kara hastily left a letter to Bruce, and opted to take the bedroom balcony.

Kara flew freely under the cover of night, using her powers to search for the source of the voice: Harley. 

It came again, closer now, “SSSUUUPPPES.”

Harley was in one of the abandoned subway stations what made up Gotham’s underground passages, and she was not alone. Floyd Lawton stood beside Quinn.  
Kara came to stand before them, “Well? Have you made a decision?”

“We’re both lookin’ for a change in professions, seems like we’ll be working with you, Supes.” Harley chirped. “To National City we go!”

Floyd merely sighed, slinging a bag over his shoulder, “What she said.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled to get through the first half of the chapter, I don't know why, and I was also trying to decide how the date would end. Aneweys, sorry for any spelling mistakes, hope your halloween was good, William Dey doesn't deserve Kara, season 5 is trash for the most part, and the showrunners can fuck off. :)
> 
> Twitter: @endgamegay  
pintrest for this fic: https://www.pinterest.com/medusathygod/ash-and-steel/


	7. Into Trouble Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not much, just some time with Harley and Floyd, and a few phone calls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoy! (if not imma cry)

Everything was going well.

Kara decided it best to not waste anymore time in Gotham, and gave her new, um… partners? their first task: to get a car while she went back to the motel to pick up her belongings. Right now she was hoping one wouldn’t kill the other before they even had the chance to actually start their trip back to National City. 

Luckily, Kara found both of them waiting outside Floyd’s apartment building with a black SUV. They were quiet, the sun was rising over the horizon as she piled her belongings into the back.

“Can’t you just fly?” Floyd asked. 

“I can, but I don’t want to stay low for now.” She explained, gesturing for the keys. “Pass em’ I’m gonna drive.”

Harley jumped up and ran for the car door, “Oooo, I CALL SHOTGUN!”

It would take approximately 3 days of 10 hour drives to make it to National City, she would stop at whatever town or city they ended up in. 

“Imma miss my puddin’” murmured Harley as they drove out of Gotham’s city limits.

“Well, he’s dead now.”

*

[Day 1, 1 hour in]

“Are we almost there?” Harley asked.

Kara just sighed, focusing on the road, and choosing to ignore her.

*

[Day 1, 3 hours in]

Any of Floyd’s plans for sleep were thwarted by Harley. As the hours went by, the Quinzel’s boredom increased she focused her attention on the car radio, and proceeded to blast music. From ‘These boots are made for walkin’’ to ‘you don’t own me’ to ‘Bang Bang (my baby shot me down).’

When the car grew silent as the tuned died down, Harley repeated her earlier sentiment. “I miss my puddin.” 

*

[Day 1, 6 hours in]

Harley broke her steady humming, “Ya’know, since we’re a team we should probably come up with a cool team name. How bout’ ‘The Super Squad’.”

Floyd, who had been keeping to himself for the better part of their trips suddenly leaned forward to protest, “No, Nope. We are not getting a team name.”

“I sorta dig the idea of a team name.” Kara said and grinned as Floyd threw her a glare. “But, really? The Super Squad? I would have thought you to be more creative.”

“Calm it, Supes. I’m working on it.”

Hopefully things would go according to plan.

*  
{Day 1, 9 hours in]

They only made a few stops throughout the duration of their trip, mostly Harley needing to go to the restroom, Kara’s need for snacks, or fuel but at 9 hours she was ready to call it a night and sleep at yet another cheap motel, or whatever was offered. 

Except things didn’t go according to plan. 

Kara was driving when red and blue lights of a police car started to flicker behind them. “What the hell?” She wasn’t speeding, or drunk, she didn’t even have a phone.

“Oh no.” Harley whispered, giggling.

Floyd sighed. “Crap.”

She should have known these two would bring trouble as soon as possible, but why now? Kara kept driving, “What did you two do?”

Harley smiled, “You told us to get a car.”

“Let me take a guess and say you stole it.” Kara said. She only received Harley’s laugh as affirmation.

She couldn’t do this right now. Yeah, she wanted to sleep, but not in a cell, that was if Harley and Floyd didn’t deal with the poor cop in their own way. She was supposed to stop crime, not partake in it, but... any information about her on police records would surely get back to the DEO and she wasn’t ready for that just yet.

The nearest town would be a few minutes away, Kara could probably see it if she squinted. She reached under her seat for a gun and handed it to Floyd. “I need you to take out their tires.”

“Gotcha.”

Kara hit the gas.

*

It was easy to make their getaway. By the time more law enforcement would get to the area the trio would be long gone. Harley just laughed as they sped towards the town, and Kara, on her part was not surprised.

Once they made it there, she kicked them out of the vehicle, unloaded their equipment, and hit the gas tank with her heat vision. 

She took a deep breath and turned to them, “Where is the nearest inn or hotel?” She didn’t like it, many scenarios of trouble popped into her head, but she was tired and they would need somewhere to stay until morning. 

“There’s one about 2 miles west.” said Floyd.

She huffed, “Hold onto your things, tightly.”

Kara grabbed each one of them by the arm and lifted them off the ground, above the trees, flew west, and landed in an alleyway near the hotel.

“Floyd, I need you to check in for us.” She faced Harley. “I need you to behave.”

“Okie Dokie.” She said with a salute. 

Lawton liked expensive Kara noted as they stepped into a fancy hotel suite. It accommodated three rooms, a dining room, a living room, and two restrooms. For him it was probably enough room to avoid the two women and obtain some quiet.

Kara immediately took claim to one of the rooms and started to settle in, then hid the red sun bracelet before moving into the bed. Just because she made a proposition to the two criminals she was now on a roadtrip with didn’t mean they obtained her trust. Well, maybe to a certain degree. Floyd was serious and straightforward, but before leaving his role as Deadshot he had his own rules when it came to hits, and still had the child he deeply cared for even now when he was not allowed to see her. Harley… Harley was more complicated, she was mischievous, and witty, a great part of her life was rooted to the Joker, but without him in the picture, it seems that Kara would be the one to figure out exactly what she could do. 

Aside from today’s little car incident she was okay with how things were going. Plus, neither of them have tried to kill her. 

It took nearly two hours of tossing and turning in bed for sleep to finally come.

*

In the morning Kara was greeted by Harley’s voice. “SUPES, you won’t believe it, you’re on the news!”

The moment her mind processed the words her desire to keep on slumbering vanished, and she launched out of bed, her mind racing and coming up with possible situation in which the news had gotten out. Had someone seen her flying in Gotham? Had anyone spotted them last night? Did Bruce break the news? Had the DEO found out? Would they come looking for her already?

When she crashed into the living room to look at the TV screen and read the headlined her fear and worry dissipated into relief.

Instead of being greeted by images, information and news of Superwoman the headlines read of the Superwoman memorial, which would take place today.

“A lotta shit happens at the memorial every year.” said Floyd, standing by the living room entrance. 

“I’m not surprised, I had a fair number of enemies before I left, and the memorial is just an easy target.”

“You don’t like it?” He asked.

“I don’t think it’s smart to have it so open, but it’s also not just about honoring and glorifying me. I’m not the only one who was affected by the invasion.” Kara turned, heading back to her room. “We should get moving again.”

“Awe, but Supes, can we stay here for a day or two? I promise I’ll behave.” Harley called out.

“We can get some stuff we need before we start moving>” suggested Floyd. “Like getting a rental car, you need to get a phone, I need a few drinks, and she needs to change-” He gestured to all of Harley. “All that.”

Kara didn’t know whether she should be relieved or worried since Harley and Floyd were agreeing and cooperating with each other so soon, but either way he did make valid points.

“Fine, only for today.”

Harley spoke again, “Hey, Supes, what do we call you? Do we just keep calling you Supes?”

It finally occurred to her that she had yet to give them her name, after a moment of contemplation she settled on an already familiar name. “Hmm, call me Linda, for now.”

*

Kara went to the nearest store to gather supplies, and kept one ear out for the hotel. She loaded a cart with food and snacks (lots of snacks), first aid materials (in case of emergencies), a small assortment of cheap clothes, and some blonde hair dye for Harley. 

Whatever money she had now would be just enough to sustain her for a couple of weeks, when it was safe, she would go get what she had in the Arctic.

The next couple of hours went by slowly, with Kara simply waiting and listening to the ticking of a clock until Floyd came and deposited on object beside her.

"A burner phone." Was his only explanation then he went back to his room.

She knew she shouldn't use it, not now. Any thought of calling anyone should be banished from her mind. It was tempting, but she took the phone and stored it in one of the drawers. Out of sight, out of mind.

Then, against better judgement she turned on the TV and tuned in to watch the memorial.

".... on this day, five years ago hundreds perished during the attack on National City, including Superwoman, The Girl Of Steel. Today we stand together, with friends and families to grieve the losses of-"

It was too much. To remember the events, before, during and after. One moment cursing herself for leaving, what would the people think of her? Would they think she was selfish? And reassuring herself the next by telling herself that it was a decision she had made for herself, to pick up the pieces of her life and improve.

She was about the turn off the tv, but the speech was cut short, and turned to black. A moment later the screen filled with static and a pale feminine face spoke in an eerie and daunting voice.

"We are CADMUS.” It stated. “For too long you have praised and worshipped the beings that plague our planet. The aliens- the kryptonians who throw on capes and pretend to be high and mighty. CADMUS will lead the purification of Earth. CADMUS will-”

With a click of her finger the tv was off. 

*

She tried not to think about it, she really did. So there wasn’t much of a hassle when Harley came into her room, “HEY SUPES, can we go out for a drink? Pretty please?”

Kara then found herself entering a bar, and if the numerous motorcycles were any indication the big and bruthish men in their black leather meant motorcycle gang. Dozens of conversations died down as they walked through, she sat down with Floyd and Harley ready to throw back a few drinks, but she knew what was coming. A part of her knew the night would not end peacefully because of the people she was sitting next to , and perhaps that’s why she came. 

It started when Kara was more than a few drinks in, and the world was moving around her. One of the men decided that Harley Quinn (who now dressed to fit in) would make an easy target for an easy night, his mistake.

Kara smiled, she could almost see the millisecond of restraint Harley gave before whirling around and punching him in the face. 

What followed was what you would see in a movie. An eruption of chaos.

The man was sent staggering back into another. Too drunk and bothered to comprehend the brute turned and rewarded him with yet another soc to the face. The uproar incited from their friends and partners was instantaneous. 

Kara ducked as a few projectiles were thrown, meanwhile Harley was quickly joining in on the violence. “Harley!”she scolded but the reprimand fell on deaf ears.

She made her way through the odorous swarm of bodies, and sometimes having to join in when someone would lunge at her, luckily she knew how to hold her liquor. These people were nothing more than drunkards who fell easily in the face of her swift punches and kicks. Kara disengaged momentarily to see Floyd slamming one man against a table, delivering a knee to the groin, and the dislocation of an arm. 

It would have been so easy to get lost in this too, but the blaring sirens of police cars pulled her away from the chaos. She stuffed her red sun bracelet into her pockets, and pushed her through to Harley.  
“Fucking hell.” she cursed. Quinn was still kicking and yelling. “We’re taking the back exit. Take her.” she informed Floyd, and let Harley go. 

Without waiting for Kara jumped over the counter, through the door labeled ‘employees only’ and found the back exit. Moments later Floyd walked out with an unconscious Harley Quinn in a bridal carry. Kara gave him a questioning look.

“What? I wasn’t gonna deal with her.” He shrugged.

“Just- c’mon.”

*

As soon as they made it back to the hotel Kara went back to her room, and gave into temptation. 

She opened a drawer, and fetched out the phone Floyd had acquired for her. The screen brightened, spilling light into the room, then she punched in a familiar number. 

For a second she just stared at the screen, realizing what she'd just done. Well, she'd just have to go through with it. 

Kara sank into the bed, and pressed the phone to her ear.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice the phone rang.

Kara thought she wouldn't pick up, but at the last moment someone did so.

"Hello?"

She gasped, but didn't respond, letting the world fall silent, and thus the silence stretched on.

"Hello….. Who is this?"

Again, Kara refused to speak. She hadn't thought this through, so now she didn't know what to say. 

"I can hear you. Who is this?"

".... Eliza… It's me." Kara finally answered.

For a few seconds the line was silent again before a huff came and Eliza's words erupted, angry, and quick. "Who is this? How the hell did you get my number? Do you think this is some sort of joke?"

At least she expected this, after five years it was understandable for her adoptive mother to be hesitant.

"Stop it" Kara hissed quietly. "It's me, Eliza." Her voice became a whisper. "It's Kara….. I um… Well, I'm back."

"No, no. It can't be.... ho-how do I know it's really you?"

She laughed, "I remember Kal leaving me with you. I remember Streaky, the cat that taught me how to be gentle. I remember burning a hole through the roof while trying to control my powers. I almost burnt down the house when I tried to learn how to cook. I remember Alex hating me when I first moved in. I remember Jeremiah. I remember you. And no one can forget about my love for potstickers." 

"Oh, God. Kara… Where are you?" Eliza asked gently .

"Hmm, I am currently staying at a hotel, on my way to National City. My exact location, I can't say." Kara Sighed. "Look, Eliza. I don't exactly know why I called you, but I do know I miss you." 

"Come to Midvale, Kara."

"I can't, I'm going to National City. Not many people know I'm back, and don't tell Alex yet."

"Why?" Eliza quickly changed to a stern and motherly voice. "Kara, your sister deserves to know you're back. That you're alive."

"Let's just say it's a surprise. Please, I'll explain things later, maybe. Go to National City next week, and we can talk, y'know, have some family time."

"Kara…."

"Promise me. Promise you won't tell Alex, or anyone for that matter."

Eliza sighed in acquiesce. "I promise."

"Okay, well, I have to go."

"Wait, Kara-"

She hung up before Eliza could further inquire about her life. Rao help her, Kara was about to delve into her slumber, and wallow when she was startled by the ringing of the phone.

The incoming call was simply labeled as 'unknown caller'. Shit, this was what she got for calling. Without another thought she hit the green button and brought the phone to her ear.

"Hello."

The response was immediate.

"I can't even begin to express how much I've missed you, Kiera. It's been, what? Five years? You had me fooled and thinking you were dead, so imagine my disbelief when you fell under my radar." 

These days there were few people that could actually shock Kara, but Cat Grant was never one to fall behind. Before she left Kara had always been close to her as Superwoman in an odd way. Cat encouraged her to keep taking those leaps of faith, to continue daring, and to follow her instincts.

"How did you know?"

"About your identity? I met your Aunt a few years ago, a lovely woman by the way. I managed to connect a few dots after she started talking about her beloved niece and more so when I found out about her Kryptonian heritage." Cat admitted. "As for your return, I have friends in many places, and your Aunt was very amidant with the fact that you were alive."

"I imagine Astra is doing well?"

"Oh, with me? Never better, she's living her best life, and even calls me her betrothed."

"Oh, Rao. Cat, tell me you're joking."

She expected change, Kal becoming a father soon was one, Lex Luthor going mad was another, but was her Aunt really dating the queen of all media?  
"Nope, but we'll tell you all about that later, which brings me to why I called. I understand that you may be a little busy, but I just wanted to extend an invitation. Catco is having a gala in a few days, and it could do well to be with your Aunt, and mingle with some of the higher-ups."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"You're coming back anyways, why not do it with some style? Look, as long as it makes your aunt happy I'll do it. All expenses will be paid for, and everything will be ready for you once you get to National City."

"Cat…. Am I even allowed to say no."

"See you at the Gala, I'll text you the information, get to National City. Chop Chop."

Cat Grant didn't even give her another moment, and hung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that it took a while to write this, currently dabbling in another work, but good news is that in the next chapter Kara and Lena may (finally) meet. :)
> 
> sorry for spelling mistakes (again) :(

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


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